ADVENTURES 



AN ANGLER IN CANADA. 



ADVENTURES 



AN ANGLER IN CANADA, 



NOVA SCOTIA 



AND THE UNITED STATES. 



BY CHARLES "LANMAN. 



y LONDON: O 
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, 
^ufclte&er in ©rtiinarp. to Tfytx il^tajcstp- 
1848. 



i, on i) on: 
Printed by Schulie & Co., 13, Poland Street. 






TO 



SOLOMON T. NICOLL, ESQ. 



My dear Sir, 

To you, in testimony of my friendship, I inscribe 
this little Volume. 

On a pleasant morning in May last, I awoke 
from a piscatorial dream, haunted by the idea, that 
I must spend a portion of the approaching summer 
in the indulgence of my passion for angling. 
Relinquishing my editorial labours for a time, I 
performed a pilgrimage, which has resulted in the 
production of this Volume. I hope it may entertain 
those of my friends and the public, who have 
heretofore received my literary efforts with favour. 



VI DEDICATION. 

The work will be found to contain a record of 
Adventures in the Valleys of the Hudson, St. 
Lawrence and St. John, and along some of the 
rivers of New England. 

Truly your friend, 

Charles Lanman. 



NEW-YORK, 1847. 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



^ CATSKILL MOUNTAINS . 

V LAKE HOR1CON . 
V RUINS OF FORT TICONDEROGA 

v FRANCONIA NOTCH 
J FALLS OF MOMTMORENCY 
J CAPE TRINITY ON THE SAGUENAY 

Y FALLS OF THE ST. JOHN 
^' ROBERT EGGER'S FARM ON THE AROOSTOOK 



Page 2 
53 
117 
138 
162 
180 
242 
250 



' - 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



Ho 



The Catskill Mountains — South Peak Mountain — A thunder 
storm — Midnight on the Mountains — Sunrise — Plauterkill 
Clove — Peter Hummel — Trout fishing — Stony Clove — The 
Kauterskill Fall — The Mountain House — The Mountain Lake. 

page 1 

CHAPTER II. 

A Spring Day— The Sky— The Mountains— The Streams— The 
Woods — The Open Fields — Domestic Animals — Poetry — The 
Poultry-yard . . . . . .29 

CHAPTER III. 
A corn-planting Bee ..... 43 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Lake Horicon— Sketches of its scenery — Information for anglers — 
Sabbath-day Point — War memories — The Turret City— Death 
of a deer — Roger's Slide — Diamond Island — The snake-charmer 
— Snake stories — Night on the Horicon. . . 50 

CHAPTER V. 

The Scaroon Country — Scaroon Lake — Pike Fishing by Torch-light 
— Trout Fishing— Lindsey's Tavern — Paradox Lake . 69 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Adirondac Mountains— Trout Fishing in the Boreas River — 
A night in the woods — Moose Lake— Lake Delia— Mount Taha- 
was — Lakes Sanford and Henderson — The Mcintyre Iron 
Works 80 

CHAPTER VII. 

John Cheney, the Adirondac hunter, and some of his exploits. 

100 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Burlington — Lake Champlain — Distinguished Men . 115 

CHAPTER IX. 

Stage-coach— The Winooski — The Green Mountains — The ruined 
Dwelling— The White Mountains — The Flume— A deep Pool — 
The Old Man of the Mountain — The Basin — Franconia Notch — 
View of the Mountains — Mount Washington — The Notch 
Valley 130 



CONTENTS. XI 

CHAPTER X. 

Montreal ....... 148 

CHAPTER XI. 
Quebec ....... 155 

CHAPTER XII. 

A sail down the St. Lawrence— Sword-Fish— Chasing a Whale. 

164 

CHAPTER XIII. 

The Saguenay River — Chicoutimi — Storm Picture— Hudson's Bay 
Company — Eminent Merchant— The Mountaineer Indians — 
Tadousac— Ruin of a Jesuit Establishment . . 173 

CHAPTER XIV. 
The Salmon— Salmon Adventures. . . 187 

CHAPTER XV. 

Seal-hunting on the St. Lawrence — The white Porpoise . 204 

CHAPTER XVI. 
The Esquimaux Indians of Labrador . . . 212 

CHAPTER XVII. 

The Habitans of Canada . . . . .218 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

The Grand Portage into New Brunswick— Lake Timiscouta— The 
Madawaska River ..... 225 



Xll CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XIX. 

c 
The Adadians ...... 232 

CHAPTER XX. 
Sail down the Madawaska— The Falls of the St. John . 238 

CHAPTER XXI. 

The Hermit of Aroostook . . .241 

CHAPTER XXII. 
The River St. John ..... 266 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
The Penobscot River ..... 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
Moosehead Lake — The River Kenneheck . . 278 

CHAPTER XXV. 

A Fishing Party on the Thames — Watch Hill — Night Adventures. 

291 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

A week in a Fishing Smack— Fisherman — A beautiful morning 
at sea — A day at Nantucket — Wreck of a ship — Night on the 
Sound ....... 308 



ADVENTURES 

OF AN 

ANGLER. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Catskill Mountains — South Peak Mountain — A thunder 
storm — Midnight on the Mountains — Sunrise — Plauterkill 
Clove — Peter Hummel — Trout fishing — Stony Clove — The 
Kauterskill Fall — The Mountain House— The Mountain Lake. 

Plauterkill Clove. May. 

I commence this chapter in the language of 
Leather- Stocking : " You know the Catskills, lad, 
for you must have seen them on your left, as you 
followed the river up from York, looking as blue as 
a piece of clear sky, and holding the clouds on their 
tops, as the smoke curls over the head of an 
Indian chief at a council-fire." Yes, every body is 
acquainted with the names of these mountains, but 
few with their peculiarities of scenery. They are 



2 THE CATSKILLS. 

situated about eight miles from the Hudson, rise to 
an average elevation of thirty-five hundred feet, and 
running in a straight line from north to south, 
cover a space of some twenty-five miles. The fertile 
valley on the east is as beautiful as heart could 
desire ; it is watered by the Kauterskill, Plauterkill 




CATSKILL MOUNTAINS. 



and Esopus Creeks, inhabited by a sturdy Dutch 
yeomanry, and is the agricultural mother of 
Catskill, Saugerties and Kingston. The upland 
on the west, for about forty miles, is rugged, dreary, 
and thinly settled; but the winding valley of 
Schoharie beyond, is possessed of many charms 
peculiarly American. The mountains themselves 
are covered with dense forests, abounding in cliffs 



THE CATSKILLS. 3 

and waterfalls, and for the most part untrodden by 
the footsteps of men. Looking at them from the 
Hudson, the eye is attracted by two deep hollows, 
which are called " Cloves." 

The one nearest to the Mountain House, Kauter- 
skill Clove, is distinguished for a remarkable fall, 
which has been made familiar to the world by the 
pen of Bryant and the pencil of Cole ; but this Clove 
is rapidly filling up with human habitations ; while 
the other, Plauterkill Clove, though yet possessing 
much of its original glory, is certain of the same 
destiny. The gorge whence issues the Esopus, is 
among the Shaudaken mountains, and not visible 
from the Hudson. 

My nominal residence, at the present time, is at 
the mouth of Plauterkill Clove. To the west, and 
only half a mile from my abode, are the beautiful 
mountains, whose outlines fade away to the north, 
like the waves of the sea when covered with a 
visible atmosphere. The nearest, and to me the 
most beloved of these, is called South Peak. It is 
nearly four thousand feet high, and covered from 
base to summit with one vast forest of trees, varying 
from eighty to a hundred feet in height. Like its 
brethren, it is a wild and uncultivated wilderness, 
abounding in all the interesting features of moun- 
tain scenery. Like a corner stone does it stand at 

b 2 



4 hunter's hole. 

the junction of the northern and western ranges of 
the Catskills, and as its huge form looms against 
the evening sky, it inspires one with awe, as if it 
were the ruler of the world : and yet, I have learned 
to love it as a friend. I have pondered upon its 
impressive features, when reposing in the noon-tide 
sunshine, when enveloped in clouds, when holding 
communion with the most holy night, and when 
trembling under the influence of a thunder-storm, 
and encircled by a rainbow. It has filled my soul 
with images of beauty and sublimity, and made me 
feel the omnipotence of God. 

A day and night was it lately my privilege to 
spend upon this mountain, accompanied by a poet- 
friend. We started at an early hour, equipped in 
our brown fustians, and laden with well-filled 
knapsacks, one with a hatchet in his belt, and the 
other with a brace of pistols. AVe were bound to 
the extreme summit of the peak, where we intended 
to spend the night, witness the rising of the sun, 
and return at our leisure on the following day. But 
when I tell you, that our course lay right up 
the almost perpendicular side of the mountain, 
w r here w r as no path save that formed by a torrent 
or a bear, you will readily believe it was somew hat 
rare and romantic. But this was what we delighted 
in ; so w r e shouted " Excelsior," and commenced the 



HUNTER S HOLE. 5 

ascent. The air was excessively sultry, and the 
very first effort we made, caused the perspiration to 
start most profusely. Upward, upward was our 
course; now climbing through a tangled thicket, 
or under the spray of a cascade, and then again 
supporting ourselves by the roots of saplings or 
scrambling under a fallen tree ; now, like the 
samphire gatherer, scaling a precipice; and then 
again clambering over a rock, or " shinning" up" a 
hemlock tree, to reach a desired point. 

Our first halt was made at a singular spot called 
Hunter's Hole, which is a spacious cavern or pit, 
forty feet deep and twenty wide, and approached 
only by a fissure in the mountain, .sufficiently large 
to admit a man. Connected with this place, is the 
following stoiy. 

Many years ago, a farmer, residing at the foot of 
the mountain^ having missed a favourite dog, and 
being anxious for his safety, called together his 
neighbours and offered a reward for the safe return 
of his canine friend. Always ready to do a kind 
deed, a number of them started in different direc- 
tions for the hunt. A barking sound having 
been heard to issue from this cavern, it discovered 
that the lost dog was at the bottom, where he had 
most probably fallen while chasing a fox. "But 
how shall he be extricated from this hole V was the 



6 BEAR BANK. 

general enquiry of the now-assembled hunters. Not 
one of all the group would venture to descend 
under any circumstances ; so that the poor animal 
remained a prisoner for another night. But the 
next morniDg he was released, and by none other 
than a brave boy, the son of the farmer, and play- 
mate of the dog. A large number of men were 
present on the occasion. A strong rope was tied 
around the body of the child, and he was gently 
lowered down. On reaching the bottom, and 
finding by the aid of his lamp, that he was in a 
f « real nice place," the little rogue concluded to 
have some sport ; whereupon he proceeded to pull 
down more rope, until he had made a coil of two 
hundred feet, which was bewildering enough to the 
crowd above ; but nothing happened to him during 
the adventure, and the dog was rescued. The 
young hero having played his trick so well, it was 
generally supposed, for a long time after, that this 
cavern was two hundred feet deep, and none were 
ever found sufficiently bold to enter in, even after a 
fox. The bravery of the boy, however, was even- 
tually the cause of his death, for he was cut down 
by a leaden ball in the war of 1812. 

The next remarkable place that we attained in 
ascending South Peak, was the Bear Bank, where, 
in the depth of winter may be found an abundance 



A THUNDER-STORM. 7 

of these charming creatures. It is said, that they 
have often been seen sunning themselves, even from 
the hills east of the Hudson. We were now under 
a beetling precipice, three hundred feet high, and 
there, under the shadow of a huge pine, we enjoyed 
a slice of bread and pork, with a few drops of the 
genuine mountain dew. 

Instead of a dessert of strawberries and cream, 
however, we were furnished, by venerable dame 
Nature, with a thunder-storm. It was one that we 
had noticed making a great commotion in the valley 
below. It had probably discovered two bipeds 
going towards its home, the sky, and seemed to 
have pursued us with a view of frightening us back 
again. But " knowing that nature never did betray 
the heart that loved her," we awaited the thunder- 
storm's reply to our obstinate refusal to descend. 
The cloud was yet below us, but its unseen herald, 
a strong east wind, told us that the conflict had 
commenced. Presently a peal of thunder resounded 
through the vast profound, which caused the moun- 
tain to tremble to its deep foundation. And then 
followed another, and another, as the storm 
increased, and the rain and hail poured down in 
floods. 

Thinking it safer to expose ourselves to the storm 
than remain under the pine, we retreated without 
delay, when we were suddenly enveloped in the 



8 eagle's nest. 

heart of the cloud, only a few rods distant ; then, 
a stroke of lightning blinded us, and the towering 
forest monarch was smitten to the earth. We were 
in the midst of an unwritten epic poem about that 
time, but we could not appreciate its beauties, for 
another peal of thunder, and another stroke of 
lightning attracted our whole attention. Soon as 
these had passed, a terrible gale followed in their 
wake, tumbling down piles of loose rocks, and 
bending to the dust, as if in passion, the resisting 
forms of an army of trees ; and afterwards a glorious 
rainbow spanned the mountain, appearing like 
those distinguishing circles around the temples of 
the mighty and holy, as portrayed by the painters 
of old. The commotion lasted for one hour, when 
the region of the Bear Bank became as serene as 
the slumber of a babe. A spirit of silent prayer 
was brooding upon the earth and in the air ; and 
with a shadow of thoughtfulness at our hearts, mt 
resumed our upward march. 

Our next halting place was upon a sort of 
peninsula, called the Eagle's Nest, where, it is said, 
an Indian child was formerly carried by one of those 
birds, and cruelly destroyed, and whence the frantic 
mother, with the mangled body of her babe, leaped 
into the terrible abyss below. From this point, we 
discovered a host of clouds assembled in council 
above High Peak, as if discussing the parched 



RATTLESNAKE LEDGE. U 

condition, of the earth, and the speediest mode of 
affording relief to a still greater extent than they 
had done; and far away to the west, was another 
assembly of clouds, vieing like sportive children, to 
outrun and overleap each other in their aerial 
amphitheatre. 

After this, we surmounted another point called 
Rattlesnake Ledge. Here the rocks were literally 
covered with the white bones of those reptiles, 
slaughtered by the hunter in by-gone years, and 
we happened to see a pair of them that were alive. 
One was about four feet long, and the other, which 
was only about half as large, seemed to be the 
offspring of the old one, for, when discovered, they 
were playing together like an affectionate mother 
with her tender child. Soon as we appeared in 
their presence, the serpents immediately ceased their 
sports, and in the twinkling of an eye they coiled 
themselves in the attitude of battle. The conflict 
was of short duration, and to know the result you 
need only look into my cabinet of curiosities. 

Higher yet was it our lot to climb. We w r ent 
a little out of our course to obtain a bird's-eye' view » 
of a mountain lake. In its tranquil bosom the 
glowing evening sky and mountain sides were 
vividly reflected, and the silence surrounding it 
was so profound, that we could almost hear the 

b 3 



10 SOUTH PEAK. 

ripples made by a solitary duck, as it swam from 
one shore to the other in its utter loneliness. 
Very beautiful, indeed, was this picture; and as 
I reflected upon it, I thought that, as the Infant 
of Bethlehem was tenderly protected by the parents 
who watched over its slumbers, so was this exquisite 
lake cradled and protected in the lap of the 
mountains. 

One sight more did we behold before reaching 
the summit of South Peak. It was the sunset 
hour, and on a jutting cliff, which commanded 
an immense view, our eyes were delighted by the 
sight of a deer, standing still, and looking down 
upon the silent void below, which was then covered 
with a deep purple atmosphere, causing the prospect 
to resemble the boundless ocean. It was the last of 
its race, we could not but fancy, bidding the human 
world good night, previous to seeking its heathery 
couch in a nameless ravine. 

One effort more, and the long-desired eminence 
was attained ; and we were a little nearer the 
evening star than we had ever been before. It 
was now the hour of twilight, and as we were about 
done over with fatigue, it was not long before we 
had pitched our leafy tent, eaten some supper, 
and yielded ourselves to the embrace of sleep, 
" Dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health." 



MIDNIGHT ON THE MOUNTAINS. 11 

At midnight, a cooling breath of air having 
passed across my face, I was awakened from a 
fearful dream, which left me in a nervous and 
excited state of mind, A strange and solemn gloom 
had taken possession of my spirit, which was greatly 
enhanced by the doleful song of a neighbouring 
hemlock grove. Our encampment having been 
made a little below the summit of the Peak, and 
feeling anxious to behold the prospect at that hour 
from that point, I awakened my companion, and 
we' seated ourselves upon the topmost rock, which 
was nearly bare of shrubs, but covered with a rich 
moss, softer and more beautiful than the finest 
carpet. 

But how can I describe the scene that burst upon 
our enraptured vision. It was unlike anything I 
had ever seen before, creating a lone, lost feeling, 
which I supposed could only be realized by a 
wanderer in an uninhabited wilderness, or on the 
ocean, a thousand leagues from home. Above, 
around, and beneath us — ay, far beneath us — were 
the cold, bright stars, and to the eastward, the 
"young moon with the old moon in her arms." 
In the west were floating a little band of pearly 
clouds, which I almost fancied to be winged 
chariots, and that they were crowded with children, 
the absent and loved of other years, who, in a frolic 



12 SUNRISE. 

of blissful joy, were out upon the fields of heaven. 
On one side of us reposed the long, broad valley of 
the Hudson, with its cities, towns, villages, woods, 
hills, and plains, whose crowded highway was 
diminished to a narrow girdle of deep blue. To- 
wards the south, hill beyond hill, field beyond field, 
receded to the sky, occasionally enlivened by a 
peaceful lake. On our right, a multitudinous array 
of rugged mountains lay piled up, apparently as 
impassable as the bottomless gulf. To the north, 
Old High Peak, king of the Catskills, bared his 
bosom to the moonlight, as if demanding and 
expecting the homage of the world. Strange and 
magnificent, indeed, was the prospect from that 
mountain watch-tower ; and it was with reluctance 
that we turned away, as in duty bound, to slumber 
until the dawn. 

The dawn ! And now for a sunrise picture 
among the mountains, with all the illusive per- 
formances of the mists and clouds. He comes ! 
he comes ! the " king of the bright days !" 

Now the crimson and golden clouds are parting, 
and he bursts on the bewildered sight. One 
moment more, and the whole earth rejoices in 
his beams, falling alike, as they do, upon the prince 
and the peasant of every land. And now, on either 
side and beneath the sun, an array of new-born 



SUNRISE. 13 

clouds are gathering, like a band of cavaliers, 
preparing to accompany their leader on a journey. 
Out of the Atlantic have they just arisen ; at noon 
they will have pitched their tents on the cerulean 
plains of heaven ; and when the hours of day 
are numbered, the far-off waters of the Pacific will 
again receive them in its cool embrace. 

Listen ! was not that the roar of waves ? Naught 
but the report of thunder in the valley below. Are 
not the two oceans coming together ? See ! we are 
on a rock, in the midst of an illimitable sea, and the 
tide is surely rising — rising rapidly ! Strange ! it is 
still as death, and yet the oceans are covered with 
billows. Lo ! the naked masts of a ship, stranded 
on a lee-shore ; and yonder, as if a reef were hidden 
there to impede their course, the waves are strug- 
gling in despair, now leaping to the sky, and now 
plunging into a deep abyss ! And when they have 
passed the unseen enemy, how rapid and beautiful 
are their various evolutions, as they hasten to the 
more distant shore. 

Another look, and what a change ! The mists 
of morning are being exhaled by the risen sun; 
already the world of waters is dispersed, and in 
the valley of the Hudson, far far away, are reposing 
all the enchanting features of the green earth. 

We descended the mountain by a circuitous 



14 PLAUTERKILL CLOVE. 

route, that we might enjoy the luxury of passing 
through Plauterkill Clove. The same spring that 
gives rise to Schoharie Creek, which is the principal 
tributary of the Mohawk, also gives rise to the 
Plauterkill. In its very infancy it begins to leap 
and laugh with the gladness of a boy. From its 
source to the plain, the distance is only two miles, 
and yet it has a fall of twenty-five hundred feet ; 
but the remainder of its course, until it reaches 
the Esopus, is calm and picturesque ; and on every 
side, and at every turn, may be seen the farm-houses 
of a sturdy yeomanry. 

The wild gorge, or dell, through which it passes, 
abounds in waterfalls of surpassing beauty, varying 
from ten to a hundred feet in height, whose rocks 
are green with the moss of centuries, and whose 
brows are ever wreathed with the most exquisite 
of vines and flowers. Here is the Double Leap, 
with its almost fathomless pool, containing a hermit 
trout, that has laughed at the angler's skill for a 
score of years ; the Fall of the Mountain Spirit, 
haunted, as it is said, by the disembodied spirit of 
an Indian girl, who lost her life here, while pursuing 
a phantom of the brain ; and here is the Blue Bell 
Fall, for ever guarded by a multitudinous array 
of those charming flowers. Caverns, too, and 
chasms are here, dark, deep, chilly, and damp, 



PETER HUMMEL. 15 

where the toad, the lizard, and snake, and strange 
families of insects, are perpetually multiplying, and 
actually seeming to enjoy their loathsome lives ; and 
here is the Black Chasm and the DeviPs Chamber, 
the latter with perpendicular walls, twice the height 
of Old Trinity, and with a wainscoting of pines and 
hemlocks, which have " braved a thousand years the 
battle and the breeze." Plauterkill Clove is an eddy 
of the great and tumultuous world, and in itself 
a world of unwritten poetry, whose primitive loveli- 
liness has not yet been disfigured by the influence 
of Mammon. It has been consecrated by a brother- 
hood of friends, well tried and true, to the pure 
religion of nature; and after spending a summer 
day therein, and then emerging under the open sky, 
their feelings are always allied to those of a pilgrim 
in a strange land, passing through the dreamy 
twilight of an old cathedral. 

But it is time that I should change my tune, 
as I desire to record a few fishing adventures, which 
I have lately experienced among the Catskills. 
My first excursion was performed along the margin 
of Sweetwater Brook, which flows out of the lake 
already mentioned. My guide and companion was 
a notorious hunter of this region, named Peter Hum- 
mel, whose services I have engaged for all my future 
rambles among the mountains. He is decidedly 



1G PETER HUMMEL. 

one of the wildest and rarest characters I have ever 
known, and wonld be a valuable acquisition to a 
menagerie. He was born in a little hut, at the foot 
of South Peak, is twenty-seven years of age, and 
has never been to school a day in his life, or, in his 
travels towards civilization, further away from home 
than fifteen miles. He was educated for a bark- 
gatherer, his father and several brothers having 
always been in the business ; but Peter is averse to 
common-place labour, to anything, in fact, that will 
bring money. 

When a boy of five years, he had an inkling far 
the mountains, and once had wandered so far, that 
he was found by his father, in the den of an old 
bear, playing with her cubs. To tramp among 
the mountains, with gun and dog, is Peter's chief 
and only happiness. He is probably one of the 
best specimens of a hunter now living ; and very 
few, I fancy, could have survived the dangers to 
which he has exposed himself. As to his consti- 
tution, he seems to be one of those iron mortals, 
who never die with age and infirmity, but who 
generally meet with a sudden death, as if to recom- 
pense them for their heedlessness. But with all 
his wildness and recklessness, Peter Hummel is as 
amiable and kind-hearted a man as ever breathed. 
He is an original wit, withal, and shrewd and very 



TROUT FISHING. 17 

laughable are many of his speeches ; and his stories 
are the cream of romance and genuine mountain 
poetry. 

But to my story. As usual, we started on our 
tramp at an early hour, he with a trout-basket in 
his hand, containing our dinner, and I with my 
sketch-book and a " pilgrim staff." After a tire- 
some ascent of three hours, up a mountain path, 
over ledges and through gloomy ravines, we at last 
reached the wished-for brook. All the day long 
were we cheered by its happy song, as we descended, 
now leaping from one deep pool to another, and 
now scrambling over green-coated rocks, under and 
around fallen trees, and along the damp, slippery 
sides of the mountain, until we reached its mouth 
on a plain, watered by a charming river, and 
sprinkled with the rustic residences of the Dutch 
yeomanry. We were at home by sunset, having 
walked the distance of twenty miles, and captured 
one hundred and fifty trout, the most of which 
we distributed among the farm-houses in our way, 
as we returned. The trout were small, varying 
from three to eight ounces in weight, and of a 
dark brown colour. 

On another occasion, I had taken my sketch- 
book and some fishing-tackle, and gone up a 
mountain road to the banks of Schoharie Creek, 






18 TROUT FISHING. 

nominally for the purpose of sketching a few trees. 
In the very first hole of the stream into which 
I accidentally peered, I discovered a large trout 
lying near the bottom, just above a little bed of 
sand, whence rose the bubbles of a spring. For 
some thirty minutes I watched the fellow with a 
" yearning tenderness f but as he appeared to be 
so very happy, and I was in a kindred mood, I 
thought that I would let him live. Presently, 
however, a beautiful fly lighted on the water, which 
the greedy hermit swallowed in a minute, and 
returned to his cool bed with his conscience, as 
I fancied, not one whit troubled by what he had 
done. Involuntarily I began to unwind my line ; 
and having cut a pole, and repeated to myself some- 
thing about "diamond cut diamond," I whipped 
on a red hackle and passed it over the pool. 
The rogue of a trout, however, saw me, and scorned 
for awhile to heed my lure. But I coaxed and 
coaxed, until at last he darted for it, apparently 
out of mere spite. Something similar to a miniature 
water-spout immediately arose, and the monarch 
of the brook was in a fair way of sharing the same 
fate which had befallen the innocent fly. I learned 
a salutary lesson from this incident, and as I had 
yielded to the temptation of the brook, I shouldered 
my sketch-book and descended the stream. At 



STONY CLOVE. 19 

noon I reached a farm-house, where I craved some- 
thing to eat. A good dinner was given me, which 
was seasoned by many questions, and some infor- 
mation, concerning trout. That afternoon, in company 
with a little boy, I visited a neighbouring stream, 
called the Roaring Kill, where I caught one hundred 
and sixty fish. I then returned to the farm-house, 
and spent the evening in conversation with my new 
acquaintances. After breakfast, on the following 
morning, I set out for home, and reached there 
about noon, having made only two additions to my 
sketches. Long shall I remember the evening 
spent with this family, and their hospitality towards 
an entire stranger. A pleasant family was that 
night added to my list of friends. 

Another of my trouting pilgrimages was to a 
famous place, called Stony Clove, among the moun- . " r^M 
tains of Shaudaken. It is a deep perpendicular 
cut, or gorge, between two mountains, two thousand 
feet in depth, from twenty feet to four hundred 
in width, and completely lined, from base to 
summit, with luxuriant vegetation. It is watered 
by a narrow but deep brook, which is so full of 
trout, that some seven hundred were captured by 
myself and two others in a single day. When I 
tell you that this spot is only about one hundred 
miles from New York, you will be surprised to 



20 KAUTERSKILL FALL. 

learn, that in its immediate vicinity we saw no 
less than two bears, one doe with two fawns, and 
other valuable game. 

In some parts of this Clove the sunshine never 
enters, and whole tons of the purest ice may be 
found there throughout the year. It is, indeed, 
a most lonely and desolate corner of the world, 
and might be considered a fitting type of the 
Valley of the Shadow of Death; in single tilt- 
did we have to pass through it, and in single rile do 
the sons of men pass into the grave. To spend one 
day there, we had to encamp two nights ; and how 
we generally manage that affair I will mention 
presently. 

In returning from Stony Clove, we took a cir- 
cuitous route, and visited the Mountain House. 
We approached it by the way of the celebrated 
Kauterskill Fall, which I will describe to you in 
the graphic language of Cooper, as you may not 
remember the passage in his " Pioneer." " Why 
there's a fall in the hills, where the water of two 
little ponds, that lie near each other, breaks out of 
their bounds, and runs over the rocks into the 
valley. The stream is, may be, such a one as would 
turn a mill, if so useless a thing was wanted in the 
wilderness. But the Hand that made that 'Leap' 
neve?' made a mill ! There the water comes croaking 



THE MOUNTAIN HOUSE. 21 

and winding among the rocks, first so slow that 
a trout might swim in it, and then starting and 
running, just like any creature that wanted to make 
a fair spring-, till it gets to where the mountain 
divides, like the cleft foot of a deer, leaving a deep 
hollow for the brook to tumble into. The first 
pitch is nigh two hundred feet, and the water looks 
like flakes of snow afore it touches the bottom, and 
then gathers itself together again for a new start, 
and, may be, flutters over fifty feet of flat rock, 
before it falls for another hundred, where it jumps 
from shelf to shelf, first running this way and that 
way, striving to get out of the hollow, till it finally 
comes to the plain." 

Our party, on this occasion, consisted of three, 
Peter Hummel, a bark-gatherer, and myself. I had 
chosen these fellows for the expedition, because of 
their friendship for me and their willingness to go, 
and I resolved to give them a "treat" at the 
" Grand Hotel," which the natives of this region 
look upon as a kind of paradise. The reader is 
no doubt aware, that the Mountain House is an 
establishment vieing in its style of accommodation 
with the best of hotels. 

Between it and the Hudson there is, during 
the summer, a semi- daily line of stages ; and it 
is the transient resort of thousands, who visit 
it for the novelty of its situation, as well as for 



22 LAUGHABLE SCENE. 

the surrounding scenery. The edifice itself stands 
on a cliff, within a few feet of the edge, and 
commands a prospect extending from Long Island 
Sound to the White Mountains. The first time I 
visited the spot, I spent half the night at my bed-room 
window, watching the fantastic performances of a 
thunder-storm far below me, which made the build- 
ing tremble like a ship upon a reef, while the sky 
above was cloudless, and studded with stars. Be- 
tween this spot and South Peak, " there's the High 
Peak and the Round Top which lay back, like B 
father and mother among their children, seeing 
they are far above all the other hills." 

But to proceed. Coarsely and comically dressed 
as we were, we made a very unique appearance 
as we paraded into the office of the hotel. I met a 
few acquaintances there, to whom I introduced my 
comrades ; and in a short time each one was spin- 
ning a mountain legend to a crowd of delighted 
listeners. In due time, I ushered them into the 
dining-hall, where a scene was enacted which can be 
better imagined than described; the fellows were 
completely out of their element, and it was laughable 
in the extreme to see them stare, and hear them 
talk, as the servants bountifully helped them to the 
turtle-soup, ice-cream, charlotte-russe, and other 
fashionable dainties. 

About the middle of the afternoon we commenced 



A GROTESQUE GROUP. 23 

descending the beautiful mountain road leading 
towards the Hudson. In the morning there had 
been a heavy shower, and a thousand happy rills 
attended us with a song. A delightful nook on this 
road is pointed out as the identical spot where 
Rip Van Winkle slept away a score of his life. I 
reached home in time to spend the twilight hour in 
my own room, musing upon the much-loved moun- 
tains. I had but one companion, and that was 
a whip-poor-will, which nightly comes to my 
window-sill, as if to tell me a tale of its love, or of 
the woods and solitary wilderness. 

But the most unique and interesting of my 
fishing adventures remains to be described. I had 
heard a great deal about the good fishing afforded 
by the lake already mentioned, and I desired to 
visit it, and spend a night upon its shore. Having 
spoken to my friend Hummel, and invited a neigh- 
bourfto accompany us, whom the people have named 
" White Yankee," the noontide hour of a pleasant 
day found us on our winding march ; and such 
a grotesque appearance as we made, was exceedingly 
amusing. The group was mostly animated when 
climbing the steep and rocky ravines which we were 
compelled to pass through. There was Peter, " long, 
lank and lean," and wild in his attire and countenance 
as an eagle of the wilderness, with an axe in his hand, 



24 THE MOUNTAIN LAKE. 

and a huge knapsack on his back, containing our 
provisions and utensils for cooking. Next to him 
followed White Yankee, with three blankets lashed 
upon his back, a slouched white hat on his head, 
and nearly a half pound of tobacco in his mouth. 
Crooked legged withal, and somewhat sickly was 
this individual, and being wholly unaccustomed to 
this kind of business, he went along groaning, 
grunting, and fuming, as if he was " sent for, and 
didn't want to come." In the rear trotted along 
your humble friend, with a gun upon his shoulder, a 
powder-horn and shot-pouch at his side, cow-hide 
boots on his feet, and a cap on his head — his beard 
half an inch long, and his flowing hair streaming in 
the wind. 

We reached our place of destination about five 
o'clock, and halted under a large impending rock, 
which was to be our sleeping place. We were 
emphatically under the " shadow of a rock, in a 
weary land." Our first business was to build a fire, 
which we did with about one cord of green and dry 
wood. Eighty poles were then cut, to which we 
fastened our lines. The old canoe in the lake was 
bailed out, and having baited our hooks with the 
minnows we had brought with us, we planted the 
poles in about seven feet water, all around the lake 
shore. We then prepared and ate our supper, and 



STRANGE BED-FELLOWS. 25 

awaited the coming on of night. During this 
interval, I learned the following particulars concern- 
ing the lake. It was originally discovered by a 
hunter, named Shew. It is estimated to cover 
about fifty acres, and in the centre, to be more than 
two hundred feet in depth. For my part, however, 
I do not believe it contains over five acres, though 
the mountains which tower on every side but one, 
are calculated to deceive the eye; but, as to its 
depth, I could easily fancy it to be bottomless, for 
the water is remarkably dark. To the number of 
trout in this lake there seems to be no end. It is 
supposed they reach it, when small, through Sweet- 
water Brook, when they increase in size, and 
multiply. It also abounds in green and scarlet 
lizards, which are a serious drawback to the plea- 
sures of the fastidious angler. I asked Peter many 
questions concerning his adventures about the lake, 
and he told me that the number of "harmless 
murders" he had committed here was about three, 
hundred. In one day, he shot three deer; at 
another time, a dozen turkeys ; at another, twenty 
ducks ; one night, an old bear ; and again, half a 
dozen coons ; and, on one occasion, annihilated a 
den of thirty-seven rattlesnakes, 

At nine o' clock, we lighted a torch and went to 
examine our lines ; and it was my good fortune' to 

c 



26 FANCIFUL DREAMS. 

haul out not less than forty-one trout, weighing 
from one to two pounds a-piece. These, we put 
into a spring of very cold water, which bubbled 
from the earth a few paces from our camping place, 
and then retired to repose. Branches of hemlock 
constituted our couch, and my station was between 
Peter and White Yankee. Little did I dream, 
when I first saw these two bipeds, that I should 
ever have them for my bed-fellows ; but who can 
tell what shall be on the morrow ? My friends were 
in the land of Nod in less than a dozen minutes 
after we had retired ; but it was hard for me to go 
to sleep in the midst of the wild scene which sur- 
rounded me. There I lay, fiat on my back, a stone 
and my cap for a pillow, and wrapt in a blanket, 
with my nose exposed to the chilly night air. And 
what pictures did my fancy conjure up, as I looked 
upon the army of trunks around me, glistening in 
the fire-light ! One moment they were a troop of 
Indians from the spirit-land, come to revisit again 
the hunting grounds of their fathers, and weeping 
because the white man had desecrated their soil ; 
and again, I fancied them to be a congress of wild 
animals, assembled to try, execute, and devour us, 
for the depredations our fellows had committed 
upon their kind during the last one hundred years. 
By and by, a star peered upon me from between the 



A MOONLIGHT SKETCH. 27 

branches of a tree, and my thoughts ascended 
heavenward. And now, my eyes twinkled and 
blinked in sympathy with the star, and I was a 
dreamer. 

An hour after the witching time of night, I was 
startled from my sleep by a bellowing halloo from 
Peter, who said it was time to examine the lines 
again. Had you heard the echoes which were then 
awakened, far and near, you would have thought 
yourself in enchanted land. But there were living 
answers to that shout, for a frightened fox began to 
bark, an owl commenced its horrible hootings, a 
partridge its drumming, and a wolf its howl. 
There was not a breeze stirring, and 

" Nought was seen, in the vault on high, 
But the moon, and the stars, and a cloudless sky, 
And a river of white in the welkin blue." 

Peter and Yankee went out to haul in the trout, 
but I remained on shore to attempt a drawing, by 
moonlight, of the lake before me. The opposite side 
of the mountain, with its dark tangled forest, was 
perfectly mirrored in the waters below, the whole 
seeming as solid and variegated as a tablet of Egyp- 
tian marble. The canoe with its inmates noiselessly 
pursued its way, making the stillness more profound. 
In the water at my feet I distinctly saw lizards 

c 2 



28 A NIGHT OF ACCIDENTS. 

sporting about, and I could not but wonder why 
such reptiles were ever created. I thought, with the 
Ancient Mariner, 

" A thousand slimy things lived on, 
And so did I." 

Again did we retire to rest, slumbering until the 
break of day. We then partook of a substantial 
trout breakfast, gathered up our plunder, and with 
about one hundred handsome trout started for 
home. 

The accidents we met with during the night 
were harmless, though somewhat ridiculous. A 
paper of matches, which Peter carried in his 
breeches' pocket, took fire, and gave him such a 
scorching that he bellowed lustily. White Yankee, 
in his restless slumber, rolled so near our watch- 
fire, that he barely escaped with one corner of his 
blanket, the remainder having been consumed. As 
for me, I only fell into the water among the lizards, 
while endeavouring to reach the end of a log, 
which extended into the lake. In descending the 
mountain, we shot three partridges, and con- 
foundedly frightened a fox ; and by the middle of 
the afternoon, were quietly pursuing our usual 
avocations among our fellow-men of the lower 
world. 



A SPRING DAY. 29 



CHAPTER II. 

A Spring Day— The Sky— The Mountains— The Streams— The 
Woods — The Open Fields — Domestic Animals — Poetry — The 
Poultry-yard. 

Plauterkill Clove. May. 
May is near its close, and I am still in the valley 
of the Hudson. Spring is indeed come again, and 
this, for the present year, has been its day of 
triumph. The moment I awoke at dawn, this 
morning, I knew by intuition that it would be so, 
and I bounded from my couch like a startled deer, 
impatient for the cool delicious air. Spring is upon 
the earth once more, and a new life is given me of 
enjoyment and hope. The year is in its childhood, 
and my heart clings to it with a sympathy, that I 
feel must be immortal and divine. What I have 
done to-day, I cannot tell : I only know that my 
body has been tremulous with feeling, and my eyes 
almost blinded with seeing. Every hour has been 



30 THE SKY. 

fraught with a new emotion of delight, and pre- 
sented to my vision numberless pictures of sur- 
passing beauty. I have held communion with the 
sky, the mountains, the streams, the woods, and 
the fields ; and these, if you please, shall be themes 
of my present chapter. 

The sky ! It has been of as deep an azure, and as 
serene, as ever canopied the world. It seemed as if 
you could look through it, into the illimitable home 
of the angels — could almost behold the glory which 
surrounds the Invisible. Three clouds alone have 
attracted my attention. One was the offspring of 
the dawn, and encircled by a rim of gold ; the next 
was the daughter of noon, and white as the driven 
snow ; and the last of evening, and robed in deepest 
crimson. Wayward and coquettish creatures were 
these clouds ! Their chief ambition seemed to be 
to display their charms to the best advantage, as if 
conscious of their loveliness ; and, at sunset, when 
the light lay pillowed on the mountains, it was a 
joyous sight to see them, side by side, like three 
sweet sisters, as they were, going home. Each one 
was anxious to favour the world with its own last 
smile, and by their changing places so often, you 
would have thought they were all unwilling to 
depart. But they were the ministers of the Sun, 
and he would not tarry for them ; and, while he 



THE MOUNTAINS. 31 

beckoned them to follow on, the Evening Star took 
his station in the sky, and bade them depart : and 
when I looked again, they were gone. Never more, 
thought I, will those clouds be a source of joy to a 
human heart. And in this respect, also, they 
seemed to me to be the emblems of those beautiful 
but thoughtless maidens, who spend the flower of 
youth trifling with the affections of all whom they 
have the power to fascinate. 

The mountains ! In honour of the season which 
has just clothed them in the richest green, they 
have this day displayed every one of their varied 
and interesting charms. At noon, as I lay under 
the shadow of a tree, watching them " with a look 
made of all sweet accord," my face was freshened 
by a breeze. It appeared to come from the summit 
of South Peak, and to be the voice of the Catskills 
I listened, and these were the words which echoed 
through my ear : 

" Of all the seasons, oh, Spring ! thou art the 
most beloved, and to us, always the most welcome. 
Joy and gladness ever attend thy coming, for we 
know that the l winter is past, the rains are over 
and gone, the time of the singing of birds is come, 
and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land/ 
And we know, too, that from thy hands flow 
unnumbered blessings. Thou softenest the earth, 



32 THE STREAMS. 

that the husbandman may sow his seed, which shall 
yield him a thousand fold at the harvest. Thou 
releasest the rivers from their icy fetters, that the 
wings of commerce may be unfurled once more. 
Thou givest food to the cattle upon a thousand hillsy 
that they, in their turn, may furnish man with 
necessary food, and also assist him in his domestic 
labours. Thou coverest the earth with a garniture 
of freshest loveliness, that the senses of man may be 
gratified, and his thoughts directed to Him who 
hath created all things, and pronounced them good. 
And, finally, thou art the hope of the year, and 
thine admonitions, which arc of the future, have a 
tendency to emancipate the thoughts of man from 
this world, and the troubles which may surround 
him here, and fix them upon that clime where an 
eternal spring abides." " The voice in my 
dreaming ear melted away," and I heard the roaring 
of the streams as they fretted their way down the 
rocky steeps. 

The streams ! Such " trumpets" as they have 
blown to-day, would, I am afraid, have caused Mr. 
Wordsworth to exclaim : 

14 The cataracts — make a devilish noise up yonder." 

The fact is, as " all the earth is gay," and all the 
springs among the mountains are " giving them- 



THE WOODS. 33 

selves up to jollity/' the streams are full to over- 
flowing, and rush along with a " vindictive 
looseness/' because of the burden they have to 
bear. The falls and cascades, which make such 
exquisite pictures in the summer months, are now 
fearful to behold, for, in their anger, every now 
and then they toss some giant tree into an abyss of 
foam, which makes one tremble with fear. But 
after the streams have left the mountains, and are 
running through the bottom-lands, they still appear 
to be displeased with something, and at every turn 
they take, delve into the " bowels of the harmless 
earth/' making it dangerous for the angler to 
approach too near, but rendering the haunt of the 
trout more spacious and commodious than before. 
The streams are about the only things I cannot 
praise to-day, and I hope it will not rain for a 
month to come, if this is the way they intend to 
act whenever we have a number of delightful 
showers. 

The woods ! A goodly portion of the day have 
I spent in one of their most secret recesses. I went 
with Shakspeare under my arm, but could not 
read, any more than fly, so I stretched myself at 
full length on a huge log, and kept a sharp look- 
out for anything that might send me a waking 
dream. The brotherhood of trees clustered around 

c 3 



34 THE WOODS. 

me, laden with leaves just bursting into full matu- 
rity, and possessing that delicate and peculiar 
green, which lasts but a single day, and never 
returns. A fitful breeze swept through them, so 
that ever and anon I fancied a gushing fountain to 
be near, or that a company of ladies fair were come 
to visit me, and that I heard the rustle of their 
silken kirtles. And now my eyes rested on a tree, 
that was entirely leafless, and almost without a 
limb. Instead of grass at its foot, was a heap of 
dry leaves, and not a bush or vine grew anywhere 
near it, but around its neighbours they grew in 
great abundance. It seemed branded with a en 
alone, forsaken of its own, and despised by all. 
Can this, thought I, be an emblem of any human 
being ? Strange that it should be, but it is never- 
theless too true. Only one week ago I saw a poor 
miserable maniac bound hand and foot, driven 
from " home and all its treasures," and carried to a 
dark, damp prison-house in a neighbouring town. 
I can be reconciled to the mystery of a poisonous 
reptile's existence, but it is very hard to under- 
stand for what good purpose a maniac is created. 
Another object I noticed, was a little tree about 
five feet high, completely covered with blossoms of 
a gaudy hue. At first, I tried to gather some- 
thing poetical out of this thing, but with all my 



THE WOODS. 35 

endeavours, I could not, It caused me a real 
hearty laugh as the idea expanded, for it reminded 
me of a certain maiden lady of my acquaintance, 
who is old, stunted, very fond of tall men and 
always strutting round under a weight of jewelry. 
But oh ! what beautiful flowers did I notice in that 
shady grove, whose whispering thrilled me with 
delight ! Their names ? I cannot tell them to 
you, fair reader ; they ought to have no names, any 
more than a cloud or a foam-bell on the river. 
Some were blue, some white, some purple, and 
some scarlet. There were little parties of them on 
every side ; and as the wind swayed their delicate 
stems, I could not but fancy they were living, 
creatures, the personified thoughts perhaps of happy 
and innocent children. Occasionally, too, I noticed 
a sort of straggler peeping at me from beside a 
hillock of moss, or from under the branches of a 
fallen tree, as if surprised at my temerity in enter- 
ing its secluded haunt. Birds also were around me 
in that greenwood sanctuary, singing their hymns 
of praise to the Father of mercies for the return of 
spring. The nests of the females being already 
built, they had nothing to do but be happy, antici- 
pating the time when they themselves should be the 
" dealers-out of some small blessings" to their 
helpless broods. As to their mates, they « 



36 THE OPEN FIELDS. 

about as independent, restless and noisy as might 
be expected, very much as any rational man would 
be who was the husband of a young and beautiful 
wife. 

But the open fields to-day have superabounded 
with pictures to please and instruct the mind. I 
know not where to begin to describe them. Shall 
it be at the very threshold of our farm-house ? "Well, 
then, only look at those lilac trees in the garden, 
actually top-heavy with purple and white flowering 
pyramids. The old farmer has just cut a number 
of large branches, and given them to his little 
daughter to carry to her mother, who will distri- 
bute them between the mantel-piece, the table, 
and the fire-place of the family sitting-room. But 
what ambrosial odour is that which now salutes the 
senses ? It comes not from the variegated corner 
of the garden, where the tulip, the violet, the 
hyacinth, the blue bell, and the lily of the valley 
arc vieing to outstrip each other in their attire ; nor, 
from that clover-covered lawn, besprinkled with 
butter-cups, strawberry blossoms, and honey- 
suckles ; but from the orchard, every one of whose 
trees are completely covered with snow-white 
blossoms. And from their numberless petals 
emanates the murmur of bees, as they are busy 
extracting the luscious honey. 






THE OPEN FIELDS. 37 

What an abundance of fruit — of apples, cherries, 
peaches and pears, do these sweet blossoms promise ! 
But next week there may be a bitter frost ; and 
this is the lesson which my heart learns. Now that 
I am in the spring-time of life, my hopes, in 
number and beauty, are like the blossoms of trees, 
and I know not but they may even on the morrow 
be withered by the chilly breath of the grave. But 
let us loiter farther on. The western slope of this 
gentle hill is equally divided, and of two different 
shades of green ; one is planted with rye, and the 
other with wheat. The eastern slope of the hill has 
lately been loosened by the plough, and is of a 
sombre colour, but to my eye not less pleasing than 
the green. And this view is enlivened with figures 
besides — for a farmer and two boys are planting 
corn, the latter opening the bed with their hoes, 
and the former dropping in the seed (which he 
carries in a bag slung at his side), and covering it 
with his foot. And now, fluttering over their heads 
is a roguish bob-o-link, scolding about something 
in their wake ; at a respectful distance, and hopping 
along the ground are a number of robins ; and on 
the nearest fence a meadow-lark and bluebird are 
" holding on for a bite." But there is no end to 
these rural pictures, so I will just take my reader 



38 DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 

into this neighbouring meadow-pasture, thence into 
the poultry-yard at home, and conclude my present 
rhapsody. 

Here we are, then, in the midst of various 
domestic animals. Yonder, a couple of black colts 
are chasing each other in play, while their venerable 
mother (for they are brothers, though not twin- 
standing a little way off, watching their antics, and 
twisting about her ears, as she remembers the 
happy days of her own colthood. Here are some 
half dozen hearty cows, lying down and grazing, 
each one with a " pledge of affection" sporting 
about her. There are six or eight oxen, eating 
away as fast as they can, while one, who seemfl 
be a sentinel, occasionally rolls up his eye to 
if the farmer is coming to renew his song of " haw ! 
gee ! gee ! haw \" Under the shadow of that old 
oak is a flock of sheep, with their lambs bounding 
beside them, as to the " tabor's sound ;" but to 
me there comes no " thought of grief' at the 
sight, wherein I must be suffered to disagree with 
Wordsworth, to whom I have already alluded 01 
or twice, and whose celebrated and most wonderful 
Ode has been echoing in my heart all the day long. 
Some of the lines in it are appropriate to the day, 
the charrus of which I am attempting to make you 



POETRY. 39 

feel,, reader, and you will oblige me by reading and 
inwardly digesting, the following fragments of a 
whole, and yet really complete poems : — 

" The sunshine is a glorious birth" 



" The wands come to me from the fields of sleep. 



And the babe leaps up on his mother's arm.' 



" Earth fills her lap with pleasures of her own.' 



" Full soon thy soul shalt have her earthly freight, 
And custom lie upon thee wdth a w T eight, 
Heavy as fate, and deep almost as life." 



joy, that in our embers 
Is something that doth live, 

That nature yet remembers 
What was so fugitive." 



" To me, the meanest flow r er that blows, can give 
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears." 

Strange, that a rational man, after dwelling 
upon such poetry, should be willing to go into a 
poultry-yard. But why not ? I would rather do 
this willingly than be compelled, as I have been, 
and may be again, to hear a man say, after reading 



40 THE POULTRY-YARD. 

to him Wordsworth's great Ode — " Why ! of what 
use is such stuff ? what does it prove ? will it furnish 
a man with bread and butter ? will it make the pot 
boil V The people of the poultry-yard have been 
in such glee to-day, and contributed so much to 
the gladness of the day, that I must pay them a 
passing tribute. 

In the first place, our old gobbler, with his 
retinue of turkey wives, has been on the point of 
bursting with pride ever since sunrise. If the 
Grand Sultan of Turkey (who must be the father of 
all turkeys) cuts the same kind of capers m the 
presence of his hundred ladies, Turkey must be a 
great country for lean people to " laugh and grow 
fat in." Our gobbler is a feathered personification 
of Jack FalstafF, possessing his prominent trait of 
cowardice to perfection. I nourished a red hand- 
kerchief in his face this morning, and, by the way 
he strutted round and gobbled, you would have 
thought he was going to devour you. About ten 
minutes after this, I threw down a handful of corn, 
which was intended for his particular palate. 
While he was busy picking it up, a certain cock 
stepped alongside and commenced picking too : the 
intruder, having got in the way of the gobbler, was 
suddenly pushed aside ; whereupon the gentleman 
with spurs chuckled and " showed light," but the 



THE POULTRY-YARD. 41 

gobbler for a moment heeded him not. This the 
cock could not bear, so he pounced upon his enemy, 
and whipped him without mercy, until the coward 
and fool ran away, with his long train of affectionate 
wives following behind. 

The cocks, hens and chickens, which have figured 
in the yard to-day, would more than number a 
hundred, and such cackling, crowing, chuckling, 
and crying as they have made, was anything but 
a " eoncord of sweet sounds." But the creatures 
have been happy, and it was therefore a pleasure to 
look at them. A young hen this morning made her 
first appearance with a large brood of chickens, 
yellow as gold, and this caused quite a sensation 
among the feathered husbands generally. The 
mother, as she rambled about, seemed to say by 
her pompous air, to her daughterless friends — ■ 
" ar'nt they beautiful ? don't you wish you had a 
few V It was also very funny to see with what 
looks of astonishment the youthful cocks surveyed 
these " infant phenomenons." As to our ducks, 
and geese, and guinea hens, they have minded 
their business pretty well — the two former paddling 
about the creek and mud-puddles, and the latter 
" between meals" roaming at large through the 
orchard and garden, altogether the most beautiful 
and rational of the feathered tribes. 



42 CLOSE OF A SPRING DAY. 

A mountaineer, who is to take this queer record 
to the post-office, is waiting for me, and I must 
close, — hoping that the country pictures I have 
endeavoured to sketch may have a tendency to make 
my reader feel a portion of that joy, which has cha- 
racterized this delightful Spring Day. 



DUTCH DESCENDANTS. 43 



CHAPTER III. 

A corn-planting Bee. 

Plauterkill Clove. May. 

The people who inhabit that section of country 
lying between the Catskill Mountains and the 
Hudson River, are undoubtedly the legitimate 
descendants of the far-famed Rip Van Winkle. 
Dutch blood floweth in their veins/ and their names, 
appearance, manners, are all Dutch, and Dutch 
only. The majority of them are engaged in tilling 
the soil, and as they seem to be satisfied with a 
bare competency, the peacefulness of their lives is 
only equalled by their ignorance of books, and the 
world at large. The height of their ambition is to 
enjoy a frolic, and what civilized people understand 
by that term, they designate a Bee. Not only have 
they their wedding and funeral Bees, but they com- 
memorate their agricultural labours with a Bee, and 



44 A CORN-PLANTING BEE. 

of these, the Corn-Planting Bee, which I am about 
to describe, is a fair specimen. 

A certain old Dutchman of my acquaintance had 
so long neglected the field where he intended to 
plant his corn, that he found it necessary to retrieve 
his reputation by getting up a Bee. He therefore 
immediately issued his verbal invitations, and at two 
o'clock on the appointed day, about seventy of his 
neighbours, including men and women, made their 
appearance at his dwelling, each one of them fur- 
nished with a hoe and a small bag to carry the seed. 
After supplying his guests with all they wanted in 
the way of spiritual drink, my friend gave the 
signal, and shouldering a large hoe started off for 
the field of action, closely followed by his neigh- 
bours, who fell to work lustily. The field 
was large, but as the planters were numerous, it 
was entirely planted at least two hours before sun- 
set, when the party was disbanded, with the express 
understanding resting upon their minds that they 
should invite their children to the dance, which was 
to take place in the evening at the Bee-giver's 
residence. 

The house of my farmer friend having been origi- 
nally built for a tavern, it happened to contain a 
large ball-room, and on this occasion it was stripped 
of its beds and bedding, and the walls thereof 



UNIQUE BALL-DRESSES. 45 

decked from top to bottom with green branches and 
an occasional tallow candle, and conspicuous at one 
end of the hall was a refreshment establishment, 
well supplied with pies, gingerbread, molasses, 
candy and cigars, with an abundance of coloured 
alcohols. 

The number of young men and women who came 
together on the occasion was about one hundred, 
and while they were trimming themselves for the 
approaching dance, the musician, a huge, long- 
legged and bony Dutchman, was tuning a rusty 
fiddle. The thirty minutes occupied by him in this 
interesting business were employed by the male 
portion of the guests in " wetting their whistles." 
The dresses worn on the occasion were eminently 
rustic and unique. Those of the gentlemen, for 
the most part, were made of a coarse grey cloth, 
similar to that worn by the residents on BlackwelFs 
Island, while the ladies were arrayed in white 
cotton, trimmed with a narrow scarlet ribbon. 
Pumps being out of vogue, cow-hide boots were 
worn by the former, and calf brogans by the latter. 

All things being now ready, a terribly loud shriek 
came from the poor little fiddle, and the clattering 
of heels commenced, shaking the building to its 
very foundation. " On with the dance, let joy be 



16 DESPERATE DANCING. 

unconfined," seemed to be the motto of all present j 
and from the start, there seemed to be a strife 
between the male and the female dancers, as to who 
shonld leap the highest and make the most noise. 
Desperate were the efforts of the musician, as he 
toiled away upon his instrument, keeping discord 
with his heels ; and every unusual wail of the fiddle 
was the forerunner of a profuse perspiration, which 
came rolling off of the fiddler's face to the floor. 
And then the joyous delirium of the musician was 
communicated to the dancers, and as the dance 
proceeded, their efforts became still more desperate ; 
the women wildly threw back their hair, and many 
of the men took off their coats, and rolled up their 
shirt-sleeves for the purpose of keeping cool. In 
spite of every effort, however, the faces of the 
dancers became quite red with the excitement, 
and the hall was filled with a kind of heated fog, in 
which the first u break-down" of the evening con- 
cluded. 

Then followed the refreshment scene. The men 
drank whisky and smoked cigars, while the women 
feasted upon mince-pies, drank small beer, and 
sucked molasses candy. Some of the smaller men, 
or boys, who were too lazy to dance, sneaked off 
into an out-of-the-way room for the purpose of 



MONOTONOUS TUNE. 47 

pitching pennies ; while a few couples, who were 
victims to the tender passion, retired to some cozy 
nook, to bask unobserved in each other's smiles. 

But now the screeching fiddle is again heard 
above the murmur of talking and laughing voices, 
and another rush is made for the sanded floor. 
Another dance is there enjoyed, differing from the 
one already described only in its increased extrava- 
gance. After sawing away for a long time, as if for 
dear life, the musician is politely requested to play 
a new tune. Promptly does he assent to the propo- 
sition, but having started on a fresh key, he soon 
falls into the identical strain, which had kept him 
busy for the previous hour ; so that the philosophic 
listener is compelled to conclude that the fiddler 
either cannot play more than one tune, or that he 
has a particular passion for the monotonous and 
nameless one to which he so closely clings. And 
thus, with many indescribable variations does the 
ball continue throughout the entire night. 

I did not venture to trip the " light fantastic toe" 
on the occasion in question, but my enjoyment as a 
calm spectator was very amusing and decidedly 
original. Never before had I seen a greater amount 
of labour performed by men and women in the same 
time. I left this interesting assembly about mid- 
night, fully satisfied with what I had seen and 



48 A STOLEN FEAST. 

heard ; but I was afterwards told that I missed more 
than "half the fun." 

When the music was loudest, so it appears, and 
the frenzy of the dance at its climax, a select party 
of Dutch gentlemen were suddenly seized with an 
appetite for some more substantial food than had 
yet been given them. They held a consultation on 
the important subject, and finally agreed to ransack 
the garret and cellar of their host for the purpose of 
satisfying their natural desires. In the former 
place they found a good supply of dried beef, and 
in the latter, a few^oaves of bread and a jar of rich 
cream, upon which they regaled themselves without 
favour, but with some fear. The giver of the Bee 
subsequently discovered what had been done, and 
though somewhat more than " three sheets in the 
wind" slyly sent for a pair of constables, who soon 
made their appearance, and arrested the thieving 
guests, who were held to bail in the sum of fifty 
dollars each. I was also informed that the dance 
was kept up until six o' clock in the morning, and 
that the appearance of my friend's establishment, 
and the condition of his guests at seven o' clock, was 
ridiculous in the extreme. A small proportion of 
the Bee-party only had succeeded in starting for 
home, so that the number who, from excess of 
drinking and undue fatigue had retired to repose, 



LIMITED ACCOMMODATION. 49 

was not far from three score and ten. The sleeping 
accommodation of the host was limited, and the 
consequence was, that his guests had to shift for 
themselves, as they best could. The floors of every 
room in the house, including the pantries, were 
literally covered with men and women; some of 
them moaning with a severe head-ache, some 
breathing audibly in a deep sleep, and others 
snoring in the loudest and most approved style. 
By twelve o' clock, the interesting company had 
stolen off to their several homes, and the Corn- 
Planting Bee, among the Catskills, was at an end. 



50 LAKE HORICOX. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Lake Horieon — Sketches of its scenery — Information for angl< — 
Sabbath-day Point— War memories— The Turret City— Death 
of a deer — Roger's Slide— Diamond Island — The snake-charmer 
— Snake stories — Night on the Iloricon. 

Lyman's Tavern. June. 

If circumstances alone could make one poetical, 

then might you expect from me on this occasion 
a paper of rare excellence and beauty. My sketch- 
book is my desk, my canopy from the sunshine an 
elm-tree, the carpet under my feet a rich green 
sprinkled with flowers, the music in my ear of 
singing birds, and the prospect before me, north, 
east, and south, the tranquil bosom of Lake George, 
with its islands and surrounding mountains, wh 
waters, directly at my side, are alive with many 
kinds of fish, sporting together on a bed of sand. 
Yes, the far-famed Lake George is my subject, 



LAKE HORICON. 51 

but in what I write I shall not use that title ; for I 
do not like the idea of christening what belongs 
to us with the name of an English monarch, how- 
ever much his memory deserves to be respected. 
Shall it be Lake St. Sacrament, then ? No ! for 
that was given to it by the Pope and the French 
nation. Horicon — a musical and appropriate word, 
meaning pure water, and given it by the poor 
Indian — is the name which rightfully belongs to 
the lake which is now my theme. 

Lake Horicon is one of the few objects in nature 
which did not disappoint me after reading the 
descriptions of travellers. I verily believe, that in 
point of mere beauty, it has not its superior in the 
vorld. Its length is thirty-four miles, and its 
vidth from two to four. Its islands number about 
hree hundred, and vary from ten feet to a mile 
in length ; a great many of them are situated in the 
centre of the lake, at a place called the Narrows. 
It is completely surrounded with mountains, the 
most prominent of which are, Black Mountain, on 
the east of the Narrows, Tongue Mountain, direct- 
opposite, and French Mountain, at the southern 
extremity. The first is the most lofty, and remark- 
able for its wildness, and the superb prospect there- 
from ; the second is also wild and uninhabited, 
but distinguished for its dens of rattlesnakes ; and 

d 2 



52 LAKE HORICOX. 

the latter is somewhat cultivated, but memorable 
for having been the camping-ground of the French 
during the Revolutionary war. The whole eastern 
border is yet a comparative wilderness ; but along 
the western shore are some respectable farms, and a 
good coach-road from Caldwell to Ticonderoga, 
which affords many admirable views of the sky-blue 
lake. There are three public-houses here which I 
can recommend : the Lake House, for those who 
are fond of company ; Lyman's Tavern, for the 
hunter of scenery and lover of quiet ; and Garfield's 
House, for the fisherman. A nice little steam-boat, 
commanded by a gentleman, passes through the 
Lake every morning and evening (excepting Sun- 
days), and though a convenient affair to the 
traveller, it is an eye-sore to the admirer of the 
wilderness. 

Identified with this boat is an eccentric man, 
named " Old Dick," who amuses the tourist, and 
collects an occasional shilling by exhibiting a 
number of rattlesnakes. AYhen, in addition to all 
these things, it is remembered that Horicon is the 
centre of a region made classic by the exploits of 
civilized and savage warfare, it can safely be pro- 
nounced one of the most interesting portions of our 
country for the summer tourist to visit. I have 
looked upon it from many a peak, whence might be 



LAKE HORICON. 



53 



seen almost every rood of its shore. I have sailed 
into every one of its bays ; and, like the pearl-diver, 
have repeatedly descended into its cold blue cham- 
bers ; so that I have learned to love it as a faithful 
and well-tried friend. Since the day of my arrival 
here, I have kept a journal of my adventures ; and, 
as a memorial of Horicon, I will extract therefrom 
and embody in this chapter the following passages. 




LAKE HORICON. 



Six pencil sketches have I executed upon the Lake 
to-day. One of them was a view of the distant 
mountains, whose various outlines were concentrated 
at one point, and whose colour was of that delicate 
dreamy blue, created by a sunlight atmosphere, 
with the sun directly in front. In the middle 



54 LAKE HORICOX. 

distance was a flock of islands, with a sail boat in 
their midst, and in the foreground a cluster of 
rocks, surmounted by a single cedar, which seemed 
to be the sentinel of a fortress. Another was of the 
ruins of Fort George, with a background of dark 
green mountains, which was made quite desolate by 
a flock of sheep sleeping in one of its shady moats. 
Another was of a rowing race between two rival 
fishermen, at the time when they were only a dozen 
rods from the goal, and when every nerve of their 
aged frames was strained to the utmost. Another 
was of a neat log-cabin on a quiet lawn near the 
water, at whose threshold a couple of ragged but 
beautiful children were playing with a large dog, 
while from the chimney of the house ascended the 
blue smoke with a thousand fantastic evolutions. 
Another was of a huge pine tree, which towered 
conspicuously above its kindred on the mountain 
side, and seemed to me an appropriate symbol of 
Webster in the midst of a vast concourse of his 
fellow-men. And the last was of a thunder-storm, 
driven away from a mountain top by the mild 
radiance of a rainbow, which partly encircled Hori- 
con in a loving embrace. 



I have been fishing to-day, and, while enduring 
some poor sport, indited in my mind the following 



LAKE HORICON. 55 

information, for the benefit of my piscatorial friends. 
The days of trout-fishing in Lake Horicon are 
nearly at an end. A few years ago it abounded in 
salmon-trout, which were frequently caught weigh- 
ing twenty pounds, but their average weight at the 
present is not more than one pound and a half, and 
they are scarce even at that. In taking them you 
first have to obtain a sufficient quantity of sapling 
bark to reach the bottom in sixty feet of water, to 
one end of which must be fastened a stone, and to 
the other a stick of wood, which designates your 
fishing ground, and is called a buoy. A variety of 
more common fish are then caught, such as suckers, 
perch, and eels, which are cut up and deposited, 
some half a peck at a time, in the vicinity of the 
buoy. In a few days, the trout will begin to 
assemble, and so long as you keep them well fed, 
a brace of them may be captured at any time during 
the summer. But the fact is, this is only another 
way for " paying too dear for the whistle." The 
best angling, after all, is for the common brook 
trout, which is a bolder biting fish, and better for the 
table than the salmon -trout. The cause of the great 
decrease in the large trout of this lake is this — in 
the autumn, when they have sought the shores for 
the purpose of spawning, the neighbouring bar- 



56 TROUT FISHING. 

barians have been accustomed to spear them by 
torch-light ; and if the heartless business does not 
soon cease, the result will be, that in a few years 
they will be extinct. There are two other kinds of 
trout in the lake, however, which yet afford good 
sport — the silver-trout, caught in the summer, and 
the fall-trout. But the black -bass, upon the whole, 
is now mostly valued by the fisherman. They are 
in their prime in the summer months. They vary 
from one to five pounds in weight ; are taken by 
trolling and with a drop line, and afford line sport. 
Their haunts are along the rocky shores, and it is 
often the case that on a still day you may see them 
from your boat swimming about in herds, where 
the water is twenty feet deep. They have a queer 
fashion when hooked, of leaping out of the water 
for the purpose of getting clear, and it is seldom 
that a novice in the gentle art can keep them from 
succeeding. But alas, their numbers also are fast 
diminishing, by the same means and the same 
hands that have killed the trout. My advice to 
those who come here exclusively for the purpose of 
fishing is, to continue their journey to the sources 
of the Hudson, Schroon Lake, Long Lake, and 
Lake Pleasant, in whose several waters there seems 
to be no end to every variety of trout, and where 



SABBATH DAY POINT. 57 

may be found much wild and beautiful scenery. 
The angler of the present day will be disappointed 
in Lake Horicon. 



When issuing from the Narrows on your way 
down the Horicon, the most attractive object, next 
to the mountains, is a strip of low sandy land 
extending into the lake, called Sabbath Day Point. 
It was so christened by Abercrombie, who encamped 
and spent the Sabbath there, when on his way to 
Ticonderoga, where he was so sadly defeated. I 
look upon it as one of the most enchanting places 
in the world ; but the pageant with which it is 
associated was not only enchanting, and beautiful, 
but magnificent. Only look upon the picture. 

It is the sunset hour, and before us, far up in 
the upper air, and companion of the evening star 
and a host of glowing clouds, rises the majestic 
form of Black Mountain, enveloped in a mantle of 
rosy atmosphere. The bosom of the Lake is without 
a ripple, and every cliff, ravine, and island, has its 
counterpart in the pure waters. A blast of martial 
music from drums, fifes, bagpipes, and bugle horns, 
now falls upon the ear, and the immense procession 
comes in sight ; one thousand and thirty-five 
battaux, containing an army of seventeen thousand 
souls, headed by the brave Abercrombie and the 

d 3 



58 FORT WILLIAM HEXEY. 

red cross of England — the scarlet uniforms and 
glistening bayonets forming a line of light against 
the darker back-ground of the mountain. And 
behind a log in the foreground is a crouching 
Indian runner, who, with the speed of a hawk, will 
carry the tidings to the French nation that an army 
is coming, u numerous as the leaves upon the 
trees." Far from the strange scene fly the affrighted 
denizens of mountain and wave — while thousands 
of human hearts arc beating happily at the prospect 
of victory, whose bodies in a few hours will be food 
for the raven on the plains of Ticonderoga. 



A goodly portion of this day have I been musing 
upon the olden times, while rambling about Fort 
George, and Fort William Henry. Long and with 
peculiar interest did I linger about the spot near 
the latter, where were cruelly massacred the fol- 
lowers of Monroe, at which time Montcalm linked 
his name to the title of a heartless Frenchman, and 
the name of Webb became identified with all that 
is justly despised by the human heart. I pro! 
myself to be an enemy to wrong and outrage of 
every kind, and yet a lover and defender of the 
Indian race ; but when I picked up one after another 
the flinty heads of arrows, which were mementos 
of an awful butchery, my spirit revolted against 



REFLECTIONS. 59 

the Red man, and for a moment I felt a desire to 
condemn him. Yes, I will condemn that particular 
band of murderers, but I cannot but defend the 
race. 

Cruel and treacherous they were, I will allow, 
but do we forget the treatment they ever met with 
from the white man? The most righteous of 
battles have ever been fought for the sake of sires 
and wives and children, and for what else did the 
poor Indian fight, when driven from the home of his 
youth into an unknown wilderness, to become there- 
after a by-word and a reproach among the nations ? 
" Indians," said we, " we would have your lands ; 
and if you will not be satisfied with the gewgaws 
we proffer, our powder and balls will teach you that 
power is but another name for right." And this is 
the principle that has guided the white man ever 
since in his warfare against the aborigines of our 
country. I cannot believe that we shall ever be a 
happy and prosperous people, until the King of 
Kings shall have forgiven us for having, with a yoke 
of tyranny, almost annihilated a hundred nations. 



A portion of this afternoon I whiled away on 
a little island, which attracted my attention bv 
its charming variety of foliage. It is not more 
than one hundred feet across at the widest part. 



60 AN INSECT CITY. 

and is encircled by a yellow sand-bank, and 
shielded by a regiment of variegated rocks. But 
what could I find there to interest me, it may 
be inquired. My answer is this. That island, 
hidden in one of the bays of Horicon, is an Insect 
city, and more populous than was Rome in the daya 
of her glory. There the honey-bee has his oaken 
tower, the wasp and humble-bee their grassy n< 
the spider his den, the butterfly his hammock, 
the grasshopper his domain, the beetle and cricket 
and hornet their decayed stump, and the toiling 
ant her palace of sand. There they were bom, 
there they flourish and multiply, and there they 
die, symbolizing the career and destiny of man. 
I was a " distinguished stranger" in that city, and 
I must confess that it gratified my ambition to 
be welcomed with such manifestations of regard as 
the inhabitants thought proper to bestow. My 
approach was heralded by the song of a kinglv 
bee; and when I had thrown myself upon a mot 
bank, multitudes of people gathered round, and, with 
their eyes intently fixed upon me, stood still, and 
let " expressive silence muse my praise." To the 
" natives " I was emphatically a source of astonish- 
ment; and as I wished to gather instruction from 
the event, I wondered in my heart whether I should 
be a happier man if my prcst nee in a human city 



STAG HUNT. 61 

should create a kindred excitement. At any rate, 
it would be a "great excitement on a small capital." 



While quietly eating my dinner this noon in 
the shady recess of an island near Black Mountain, 
I was startled by the yell of a pack of hounds 
coming down one of its ravines. I knew that 
the chase was after a deer, so I waited in breathless 
anxiety for his appearance. Five minutes had 
hardly elapsed before I discovered a noble buck 
at bay on the extreme summit of a bluff which 
extended into the lake. There were five dogs yelp- 
ing about him, but the " antlered monarch " fought 
them like a hero. His hoof was the most dan- 
gerous weapon^ he could wield, and it seemed to 
me that the earth actually trembled every tunc 
that he struck at his enemies. Presently, to my 
great joy, one of the hounds was killed, and another 
so disabled, that he retired from the contest. But 
the hunters made their appearance, and I knew 
that the scene would soon come to a tragic close. 
And when the buck beheld them, I could not but 
believe that over his face a "tablet of agonizing 
thoughts was traced," for he feel upon his knees, 
then made a sudden wheel, and with a frightful 
bound, as a ball passed through his heart, cleared 



62 

the rock and fell into the lake below. The water* 
closed over him; and methought that the waves 
of Horicon and the leaves of the forest murmured 
a requiem above the grave of the wilderness king. 
I turned away with a tear in my eye, and partly 
resolved that I would never again have a dog for 
my friend, or respect the character of a hunter; 
but then I looked into the crystal waters of the 
lake, and thought of the beam in my own eye, and 
stood eonvictcd of a kindred cruelty. 



One of the most singular precipices overlooking 
Horicon is about five miles from the outlet, and 
known as Rogers' Slide. It is some four hundred 
feet high, and at one point not a fissure or sprig 
can be discerned to mar the polished surface of 
the rock till it reaches the water. Once on a time, 
in the winter, the said Rogers was pursued by a 
band of Indians to this spot, where, after throwing 
down his knapsack, he carefully retraced the ^t< >p> 
of his snow-shoes for a short distance, and descend- 
ing the hill by a circuitous route, continued Ins 
course across the frozen lake. The Indians, on 
coming to the jumping-ofF-place, discovered their 
enemy on the icy plain; but when they saw the 
neglected knapsack below, and no signs of return- 



DIAMOND ISLAND. 63 

ing footsteps where they stood, they thought the 
devil must be in the man, and gave up the pursuit. 



The most famous, and one of the most beautiful 
islands in this lake, is Diamond Island, so called, 
from the fact that it abounds in crystallized quartz. 
It is half a mile in length, but the last place in the 
world which would be thought of as the scene 
of a battle. It is memorable for the attack made 
by the Americans on the British, who had a gar- 
rison there during the Revolution. The American 
detachment was commanded by Colonel Brown, and 
being elated with his recent triumphs on Lake 
Champlain, he resolved to attack Diamond Island. 
The battle was bloody, and the British fought 
like brave men, "long and well;" the Americans 
were defeated, and this misfortune was followed 
by the sufferings of a most painful retreat over 
the almost impassable mountains between the Lake 
and what is now Whitehall. While wandering 
about the island, it was a difficult matter for me to 
realize, that it had ever resounded with the roar 
of cannon, the dismal wail of war, and the shout of 
victory. That spot is now covered with woods, 
whose shadowy groves are the abode of a thousand 



64 A CHARACTER. 

birds, for ever singing a song of peace or love, i 
to condemn the ambition and cruelty of man. 



In the vicinity of French Mountain is an island 
celebrated as the burial place of a rattle-snake 
hunter, named Belden. From all that I can learn, 
he must have been a strange mortal indeed. His 
birth-place and early history were alike unknown. 
When he first made his appearance at this Lake. 
his only companions were a brotherhood of rattle- 
snakes, by exhibiting which he professed to have 
obtained his living; and it is said that, during 
flu; remainder of his life, he acquired a handsome 
sum of money by selling the oil and gall of his 
favourite reptile. And I have recently been told, 
that the present market-price of a fat snake, when 
dead, is not less than half a dollar. Another mode 
peculiar to old Belden for making money, was t<> 
suffer himself to be bitten, at some tavern, after 
which he would return to his cabin to apply the 
remedy, when he would come forth again just as good 
as new. But he was not always to be a solemn trirler. 
For a week had the old man been missing, and on a 
pleasant August morning, his body was found on 
the island alluded to, sadly mutilated and bloated, 
and it was certain that he had died actually sur- 



UNPLEASANT VISITORS. 65 

rounded by rattlesnakes. His death-bed became 
his grave, and rattlesnakes were his only watchers, 
— and thus endeth the story of his life. 

But this reminds me of two little adventures. 
The other day, as I was seated near the edge of 
a sand bar, near the mouth of a brook, sketching a 
group of trees and the sunset clouds beyond, I 
was startled by an immense black snake, that 
landed at my side, and pursued its way directly 
under my legs, upon which my drawing-book 
was resting. Owing to my perfect silence, the 
creature had probably looked upon me as a mere 
stump. But what was my surprise, a few moments 
after, when reseated in the same place, to find 
another snake, and that a large spotted adder, 
passing along the same track the former had pur- 
sued. The first fright had almost disabled me 
from using the pencil, but when the second came, 
I gave a lusty yell, and forgetful of the fine arts, 
started for home on the keen run. 

At another time, when returning from a fishing 
excursion, in a boat, accompanied by a couple of 
"greenhorns," we discovered on the water, near 
Tongue Mountain, an immense rattlesnake, with 
his head turned towards us. As the oarsman in 
the bow of the boat struck at him with his oar, the 
snake coiled round it, and the fool was in the very 



66 FEMALE SNAKE-HUNTERS. 

act of dropping the devilish thing in my lap at the 
stern of the boat. I had heard the creature rattle, 
and not knowing what I did, as he hung suspended 
over me, overboard I went, and did not look behind 
till I had reached the land. The consequence was, 
that for one while I was perfectly disgusted even 
with Lake Horicon, and resolved to leave it without 
delay. The snake was killed without doing any 
harm, however; but such a blowing up as I gave 
the man actually made his hair stand straight with 
fear. 

One more snake story and I'll conclude. On the 
north side of Black Mountain is a cluster of some 
half-dozen houses, in a vale, which spot is called the 
Bosom, but from what cause I do not know. The 
presiding geniuses of the place are a band of girls, 
weighing two hundred pounds a piece, who farm 
it with their fathers for a living, but whose prin- 
cipal amusement is rattlesnake hunting. Their 
favourite playground is the notorious cliff on Tongue 
Mountain, where they go with naked feet (rowing 
their own boats across the Lake), and pull out 
by their tails from the rocks the pretty playthings, 
and, snapping them to death, they lay them auay 
in a basket as trophies of their skill. I was told 
that in one day last year they killed the incredible 
number of eleven hundred. What delicious wives 



RETROSPECTION. 67 

would these Horicon ladies make ! Since the 
Florida Indians have been driven from their country 
by bloodhounds, would it not be a good idea for 
Congress to secure the services of these amazons 
for the purpose of exterminating the rattlesnakes 
upon our mountains. This latter movement would 
be the most ridiculous ; but the inhumanity of the 
former is without a parallel. 



A clear and tranquil summer night, and I am 
alone on the pebbly beach of this paragon of Lakes. 
The countless hosts of heaven are beaming upon me 
with a silent joy, and more impressive and holy 
than a poet's dream are the surrounding moun- 
tains, as they stand reflected in the unruffled waters. 
Listen ! what sound is that, so like the wail of a 
spirit ? Only a loon, the lonely night-watcher of 
Horicon, whose melancholy moan, as it breaks the 
profound stillness, carries my fancy back to the 
olden Indian times, ere the white man had crossed 
the ocean. All these mountains and this beautiful 
Lake were then the heritage of a brave and noble - 
hearted people, who made war only upon the deni- 
zens of the forest, whose lives were peaceful as a 
dream, and whose manly forms, decorated with the 
plumes of the eagle, the feathers of the scarlet bird, 
and the robe of the bounding stag, tended but to 



68 RETROSPECTION. 

make the scenery of the wilderness beautiful as an 
earthly Eden. Here was the quiet wigwam village, 
and there the secluded abode of the thoughtful 
chief. Here, unmolested, the Indian child played 
with the spotted fawn, and the " Indian lover wooed 
his dusky mate ;" here the Indian hunter, in the 
" sunset of his life," watched, with holy awe, the 
sunset in the west, and here the ancient Indian 
prophetess sung her uncouth but religious chant. 
Gone — all, all gone — and the desolate creature of 
the waves, now pealing forth another wail, seems 
the only memorial that they have left behind. 
There — my recent aspirations arc all quelled, I can 
walk no farther to-night ; there is sadness in my 
soul, and I must seek my home. It is such a 
blessed night, that it seems almost sinful that a 
blight should rest upon the spirit of man; yet on 
mine a gloom will sometimes fall, nor can I tell 
from whence the cloud that makes me wretched. 



SCAROON RIVER. 69 



CHAPTER V. 

The Scaroon Country— Scaroon Lake— Pike Fishing by Torch- 
light — Trout Fishing — Lyndsey's Tavern — Paradox Lake. 

Lyndsey's Tavern. June. 
Emptying into the Hudson River, about fifteen 
miles north of Glen's Falls, is quite a large stream, 
sometimes called the East Branch of the Hudson, 
but generally known as Scaroon River.* Its extreme 
length is not far from fifty miles. It is a clear, cold, 
and rapid stream, winds through a mountainous 
country, and has rather a deep channel. The valley 
through which it runs is somewhat cultivated, but 
the mountains, which frown upon it on either side, 
are covered with dense forests. The valley of the 
Scaroon abounds in beautiful lakes and brooks ; and 
as I have explored them pretty thoroughly during 

* The word Schroon is bad English for the Indian word 
Scaroon, the meaning of which is — " Child of the Mountains." 
It was originally named by an Algonquin Chief, after a favourite 
daughter. • 



70 



SCAROOX LAKE. 



the past week, I will now record the result of my 
observations. 

The most prominent pictorial features of this 
region is Scaroon Lake, through which the river 
of that name forms a channel. It is ten miles in 
length, and averages about one in width. Excepting 
a little hamlet at its head, and two or three farms 
at the southern extremity, it is yet surrounded with 
a wilderness of mountains. The waters thereof are 
deep and clear, and well supplied with fish, of 
which the salmon-trout and pike are the most 
valuable. The trout are more abundant here than 
in Lake George, but owing to the prevailing cus- 
tom of spearing them in the autumn, they are 
rapidly becoming extinct. I made a desperate effort 
to capture one as a specimen, but without success, 
though I was told that they varied in weight from 
ten to fifteen pounds. My efforts, however, in taking 
pike were more encouraging. But, before giving 
my experience, I must mention an interesting fact 
in natural history. Previous to the year 1840, 
Scaroon Lake was not known to contain a single 
pike, but during that year, some half dozen males 
and females were brought from Lake Champlain 
and deposited therein, since which time they have 
multiplied so rapidly, as to be quite abundant, not 
only in Scaroon Lake, but in all the neighbouring 
waters. And as they are frequently taken, weighing 



PIKE FISHIXG. 71 

some twenty pounds, the fact seems to be established 
that this fish grows rapidly, and is not of slow 
growth, as many naturalists have supposed. 

But to my pike story. A number of lumbermen 
were going out for the purpose of taking pike by 
torch-light, and I was fortunate enough to secure a 
seat in one of the three flat boats which contained 
the fishermen. It was a superb night, and the 
lake was without a ripple. Our torches were made 
of " fat pine," as it is here called ; and my polite 
friends taking it for granted that I was a novice in 
the spearing business, they cunningly awarded to 
me the dullest spear in their possession, and gave 
me the poorest position in the boat. I said nothing 
to all this, but inwardly resolved that I would give 
them a salutary lesson, if possible. I fished from 
nine until twelve o' clock, and then left my friends 
to continue the sport. The entire number of pike 
taken, as I found out in the morning, was thirteen ; 
and, as fortune would have it, four of this number 
were captured by myself, in spite of my poor spear. 
I did not take the largest fish, which weighed 
eighteen pounds, but the greatest number, with 
which success I was fully satisfied. The effect of 
my good luck upon my companions was unexpected, 
but gratifying to me ; for there was afterwards a 
strife between them, as to who should show me the 



72 A MOONLIGHT SCENE. 

most attention in the way of piloting me about the 
country. This little adventure taught me the 
importance of understanding even the vagabond art 
of spearing. 

The event of that night, however, which afforded 
me the purest enjoyment, was the witnessing of a 
moonlight scene, immediately after leaving the Lake 
shore, for the inn where I was staying. Before 
me, in wild and solemn beauty, lay the southern 
portion of the Scaroon, on whose bosom were 
gliding the spearmen, holding high above their 
heads three huge torches, which threw a spectral 
glare, not only upon the water, but upon the 
swarthy forms which were watching for their prey. 
Just at this moment an immense cloud of fog broke 
away, and directly above the summit of the oppo- 
site mountain, the clear full moon made its appear- 
ance, and a thousand fantastic figures, born of the 
fog, were pictured in the sky, and appeared ex- 
tremely brilliant under the effulgence of the ruling 
planet ; while the zenith of sky was of a deep blue, 
cloudless, but compeltely spangled with stars. And 
what greatly added to the magic of the scene, was 
the dismal scream of a loon, which came to my ear 
from a remote portion of the Lake which was yet 
covered with a heavy fog. 

Rising from - the western margin of Scaroon Lake, 



TROUT BROOK. 73 

is a lofty mountain, which was once painted by- 
Thomas Cole, and by him named Scaroon Moun- 
tain. There is nothing particularly imposing about 
it, but it commands an uncommonly fine prospect of 
the surrounding country. When I first came in 
sight of this mountain, it struck me as an old 
acquaintance, and I reined in my horse for the 
purpose of investigating its features. Before I 
resumed my course, I concluded that I was standing 
on the very spot whence the artist Cole had taken 
his original sketch of the scene, by which cir- 
cumstance I was convinced of the fidelity of his 
pencil. 

The largest island in Scaroon Lake lies near 
the northern extremity, and studs the water like 
an emerald on a field of blue. It was purchased 
some years ago by a gentleman of New York, 
named Ireland, who has built a summer residence 
upon it, for the accommodation of himself and 
friends. 

Emptying into the Scaroon river, just below the 
Lake, is a superb mountain stream, known as 
Trout Brook. It is thirty feet wide, twelve miles 
long, and comes rushing down the mountains, 
forming a thousand waterfalls and pools, and filling 
its narrow valley with a continual roar of music. 

E 



74 STONE BRIDGE. 

Not only is it distinguished for the quality and 
number of its trout, but it possesses one attraction 
which will pay the tourist for the weary tramp he 
must undergo to explore its remote recesses. I 
allude to what the people about here call the " Stone 
Bridge." At this point, the wild and dashing 
stream has formed a channel directly through the 
solid mountains \ so that in fishing down, the 
angler suddenly finds himself standing upon a pile 
of dry stones. The extent of this natural bridge is 
not more than twenty, or perhaps thirty feet ; but 
the wonder is, that the unseen channel is sufficiently 
large to admit the passage of the largest logs, which 
the lumbermen float down the stream. 

I might also add, that at the foot of this bridge 
is one of the finest pools imaginable. It is, per- 
haps, one hundred feet long ; and so very deep, 
that the clear water appears quite black. Thi 
the finest spot in the whole brook for trout ; and 
my luck there may be described as follows : I had 
basketed no less than nine half-pounders, when my 
fly was suddenly seized, and my snell snapped in 
twain by the fierceness of his leaps. The conse- 
quence of that defeat was, that I resolved to capture 
the trout, if I had to remain there all night. I 
then ransacked the mountain-side for a living bait, 



TROUT FISHING. 75 

and with the aid of my companion, succeeded in 
capturing a small mouse, and just as the twilight 
was coming on, I tied the little fellow to my hook, 
and threw him on the water. He swam out in 
fine style; but when he reached the centre of the 
pool, a large trout leaped completely out of his 
element, and in descending, seized the mouse. 
The result was, that I broke my rod, but caught the 
trout ; and though the mouse was seriously injured, 
I had the pleasure of again giving him his liberty. 

The largest trout that I killed weighed nearly 
a pound; and though he was the cause of my 
receiving a ducking, he afforded me some sport, 
and gave me a new idea. When I first hooked 
him, I stood on the very margin of the stream, 
knee deep in a bog ; and just as I was about to 
basket him, he gave a sudden leap, cleared himself, 
and fell into the water. Quick as thought, I made 
an effort to rescue him ; but in doing so, lost my 
balance, and was playing the part of a turtle in 
a tub of water. I then became poetical, and 
thought it " would never do to give it up so ;" and 
after waiting some fifteen minutes, I returned, and 
tried for the lost trout again. I threw my fly some 
twenty feet above the place where I had tumbled in, 
and recaptured the identical trout which I had lost. 

e2 



^n 



76 SPORTING FRIENDS. 

I recognized him by his having a torn and bleeding 
mouth. 

This circumstance convinced me that trout, like 
many of the sons of men, have short memories, and 
also that the individual in question was a perfect 
Richelieu or General Taylor in his way, for he 
seemed to know no such word as fail. As to the 
trout that I did not capture, I verily believe that 
he must have weighed two pounds ; but as he was 
probably a superstitious gentleman, he thought it 
the better part of valour, somewhat like Santa Anna, 
to treat the steel of his enemy with contempt. 

The brook of which I have been speaking, is only 
twenty-five miles from Lake Horicon, and unques- 
tionably one of the best streams for the angler in 
the Scaroon Valley. The Trout Brook Pavilion, at 
the mouth of it, kept by one Lockwood, is a com- 
fortable inn ; and his right-hand man, named Kipp, 
is a very fine fellow, and a perfect angler. 

Speaking of the above friends, reminds me of 
another, a fine man, named Lyndsey, who ke< i>v 
a tavern, about ten miles north of Scaroon Lake. 
His dwelling is delightfully situated in the centre of 
a deep valley, and is a nice and convenient place to 
stop at for those who are fond of fishing, and 
admire romantic scenery. His family, including 



A CHALLENGE. 77 

his wife, two daughters and one son, not only 
know how to make their friends comfortable, hut 
they seem to have a passion for doing kind 
deeds. 

During my stay at this place, I had the pleasure 
of witnessing a most interesting game, which seems 
to be peculiar to this part of the country. It was 
played with the common ball, and by one hundred 
sturdy farmers. Previous to the time alluded to, 
fifty Scaroon players had challenged an equal num- 
ber of players from a neighbouring village, named 
Moriah. The conditions were, that the defeated 
party should pay for a dinner, to be given by my 
friend Lyndsey. They commenced playing at nine 
o'clock, and the game was ended in about three 
hours, the Scaroon party having won by about ten 
counts in five hundred. The majority of the players 
varied from thirty to thirty-five years of age, though 
some of the most expert of them were verging upon 
sixty years. They played with the impetuosity of 
school-boys; and there were some admirable feats 
performed in the way of knocking and catching the 
ball. Some of the men could number their acres 
by thousands, and all of them were accustomed to 
severe labour, and yet they thought it absolutely 
necessary to participate occasionally in this manly 



78 LAKE PARADOX. 

and fatiguing sport. The dinner passed off in fine 
style, and was spiced by many agricultural anec- 
dotes; and as the sun was setting, the parties 
separated in the best of spirits, and returned to their 
several homes. 

For fear that I should forget my duty, I would 
now introduce to my reader, a sheet of water 
embosomed among these mountains, which glories 
in the name of Lake Paradox. How it came by 
that queer title, I was not able to learn ; but this I 
know, that it is one of the most beautiful lakes 
I have ever seen. It is five miles long, and sur- 
rounded with uncultivated mountains, excepting at 
its foot, where opens a beautiful plain, highly culti- 
vated, and dotted with a variety of rude but 
exceedingly comfortable farm-houses. The shores 
of Lake Paradox are rocky, the water deep and 
clear, abounding in fish, and the lines of 
the mountains are picturesque to an uncommon 
degree. 

But it is time that I should turn from particulars 
to a general description of the Scaroon County. 
Though this is an agricultural region, the two 
principal articles of export are lumber and iron. 
Of the former, the principal varieties are pine, 
hemlock, and spruce; and the two establishments 



SCAROON COUNTY. 79 

for the manufacture of iron are abundantly supplied 
with ore from the surrounding mountains. Potatoes 
of the finest quality nourish here, also wheat and 
corn. The people are mostly Americans, intelli- 
gent, virtuous and industrious, and are as comfort- 
able and happy as any in the State. 



80 ADIROXDAC MOUNTAINS. 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Adirorwlae Mountains — Trout Fishing in the Boreas River — 
A night in the woods — Moose Lake — Lake Delia — Mount Taha- 
was — Lakes Sanford and Henderson — The Mclntyrc Iron 
Works. 

John Cheney's Cabin. June. 

The Adirondac Mountains are situated on the 
extreme head waters of the Hudson, in the Counties 
of Essex and Hamilton, and about forty miles west 
of Lake Champlain. They vary from five hundred 

to live thousand feet in height, and with few excep- 
tions are covered with dense forests. They lord it 
over the most extensive wilderness region in the 
Empire State ; and as I have recently performed a 
pilgrimage among them, I now purpose to give an 
account of what I saw and heard during my expe- 
dition. 

The tourist, who visits these mountains, finds it 



NOVEL COMPANIONS. 81 

necessary to leave the mail road near Lyndsey's 
Tavern on the Scaroon. If fortune smiles upon him, 
he will be able to hire a horse to take him in the 
interior, or perhaps obtain a seat in a lumber 
wagon ; but if not, he must try the mettle of his 
legs. With regard to my own case, fortune was 
non-committal ; for, while she compelled me to go 
on foot, she supplied me with a pair of temporary 
companions, who were going into the interior to see 
their friends, and have a few days' sport in the way 
of fishing and hunting. 

One of my friends, (both of whom were young 
men), was a farmer, who carried a rifle, and the 
other a travelling country musician, who carried a 
fiddle. Our first day's tramp took us about fifteen 
miles, through a hilly, thickly wooded, and house- 
less wilderness, to the Boreas River, where we 
found a ruined log shantee, in which we determined 
to spend the night. We reached this lonely spot at 
three o'clock in the afternoon ; and having pre- 
viously been told that the Boreas was famous for 
trout, two of us started after a mess of fish, while 
the fiddler was appointed to the office of wood chop- 
per to the expedition. 

The Boreas at this point is about one hundred 
feet broad, winds through a woody valley, and is 
cold, rapid and clear. The entire river does not 

e3 



82 A WILDERNESS SUPPER. 

differ materially, as I understand from the point 
alluded to, for it waters an unknown wilderness. 
I bribed my farmer friend to ascend the river, and 
having pocketed a variety of flies, I started down 
the stream. I proceeded near half a mile, when 
I came to a still-water pool, which seemed to be 
extensive and very deep. At the head of it, midway 
in the stream, was an immense boulder, which I 
succeeded in surmounting, and whence I threw a 
red hackle for upwards of three hours. I never saw 
trout jump more beautifully, and it was my rare 
luck to basket thirty-four, twenty-one of which 
averaged three quarters of a pound, and the remain- 
ing thirteen were regular two pounders. Satisfied 
with my luck, I returned to the shantee, where T 
found my companions, one of them sitting before a 
blazing fire and fiddling, and the other busily em- 
ployed in cleaning the trout he had taken. 

In due time followed the principal event of the 
day, which consisted in cooking and eating a wilder- 
ness supper. We had brought a supply of pork and 
bread, and each one having prepared for himself a 
pair of wooden forks, we proceeded to roast our 
trout and pork before a huge fire, using the drip- 
pings of the latter for seasoning, and a leather cup 
of water for our beverage. We spent the two follow r - 
ing hours in smoking and telling stories ; and having 



A NIGHT HUNT. 83 

made a bed of spruce boughs, and repaired the 
rickety partition which divided one end of the cabin 
from the other end, which was all open, we retired 
to repose. We had no blankets with us, and an 
agreement was, therefore, entered into that we should 
take turns in replenishing the fire, during the 
night. An awfully dark cloud settled upon the 
wilderness, and by the music of the wind among 
the hemlock trees we were soon lulled into a deep 
slumber. 

A short time after midnight, while dreaming of a 
certain pair of eyes in the upper part of Broadway, 
I was awakened by a footstep on the outside of the 
cabin. I brushed open my eyes, but could see 
nothing but the faint glimmer of an expiring ember 
on the hearth. I held my breath and listened for 
the mysterious footsteps ; I heard it not, but some- 
thing a little more exciting, — the scratching of a 
huge paw upon our slender door. In an exceed- 
ingly short time I roused my bed-fellows, and told 
them what I had heard. They thought it must be 
a wolf, and as we were afraid to frighten him away, 
yet anxious to take his hide, it was resolved that I 
should hold a match, and the farmer should fire 
his rifle in the direction of the mysterious noise, 
which operation was duly performed. A large pine 



84 WILD MELODY. 

torch was then lighted, the rifle reloaded, and tht 
heroes of the adventure marched into the outer hall 
of the cabin, where we found a few drops of blood, 
and the muddy tracks of what we supposed to be a 
wild cat. The rifleman and myself then commis- 
sioned the fiddler to make a fire, when we again 
threw ourselves upon the hemlock couch. 

The fiddler attended faithfully to his duty, and 
in less than twenty minutes he had kindled a tre- 
mendous blaze. The brilliant and laughing flaino 
had such an exhilarating influence upon his ner 
that he seized his instrument and commenced 
playing, partly for the purpose of keeping off the 
wild animals, but mostly for his own amusement. 
Then laying aside his fiddle, he began to sinir a 
variety of uncouth as well as plaintive songs, one < 4 
which was vague but mournful in sentiment, and 
more wild in melody, as I thought at the time, than 
anything I had ever before heard. I could not find 
out by whom it was written, or what was its exact 
import, but in the lonely place where we « 
sleeping, and at that hour, it made a very deep 
impression on my mind. The burthen of the song 
was as follows, and was in keeping with the picture 
which the minstrel, the fire-light, and the rude 
cabin presented. 



MOURNFUL SONG. 85 

" We parted in silence, we parted at night, 
On the hanks of that lonely river ; 
Where the shadowy trees their boughs unite 
We met, and we parted for ever ; — 
The night bird sang, and the stars above 
Told many a touching story, 
Of friends long passed to the mansions of rest, 
Where the soul wears her mantle of glory. 

" We parted in silence, our cheeks were wet 
By the tears that were past controlling ; — 
We vowed we would never, no never forget, 
And those vows at the time were consoling ; — 
But the lips that echoed my vows 
Are as cold as that lonely river, 
The sparkling eye, the spirit's shrine 
Has shrouded its fire for ever. 

" And now on the midnight sky I look, 
My eyes grow full with weeping, — 
Each star to me is a sealed book 
Some tale of that loved one keeping. 
We parted in silence, we parted in tears 
On the banks of that lonely river, 
But the odour and bloom of by-gone years 
Shall hang o'er its waters for ever." 

But sleep, the " dear mother of fresh thoughts 
and joyous health" soon folded the singer and his 
listeners in her embrace, and with the rising sun 
we entered upon the labours of another day. 
While the fiddler prepared our breakfast, (out of 
the few trout which certain beastly robbers had not 
stolen during the night), the rifleman went out and 



86 MOOSE LAKE. 

killed a large hare, and I took a sketch of the 
cabin where we had lodged. 

After breakfast we shouldered our knapsacks and 
started for the Hudson. We struck this noble river 
at the embryo city of Tahawas where we found a log 
house and an unfinished saw-mill. Here we also 
discovered a canoe which we boarded, and navigated 
the stream to Lake Sanford. This portion of the 
Hudson is not more than one hundred feet broad, 
but quite deep and picturesque. On leaving our 
canoe we made our way up a mountain road, and 
after walking about four miles, came out upon an 
elevated clearing of some two hundred acres, in the 
centre of which was a solitary log cabin with a reti- 
nue of out-houses, — and this was the famous Ncw- 
comb Farm. 

The attractions of this spot arc manifold, for it 
lies in the vicinity of Moose Lake and Lake Delia, 
and commands the finest distant prospect of the 
Adirondac Mountains, which has yet been dis- 
covered. 

Moose Lake lies at the west of the Farm, and 
about six miles distant. It is embosomed among 
mountains, and the fountain head of the Cold 
River, which empties into the St. Lawrence. In 
form it is so nearly round, that its entire shore may 
be seen at one view \ the bottom is covered with 



STEUBEN HEWITT. 87 

white sand, and the water is perfectly cold and 
clear. Considering its size, it is said to contain 
more trout than any lake in this wilderness ; and it 
is also celebrated as a watering-place for deer and 
moose. In fishing from the shore, one of our party 
caught no less than forty pounds of trout in about 
two hours. There were two varieties, and they 
varied from one to three pounds in weight. 

Our guide to this lake, where we encamped for 
one night, was Steuben Hewitt, the keeper of 
the Newcomb Farm, who is a hunter. This 
woodsman got the notion into his head, that he 
must have a venison steak for his banquet. We 
had already seen some half dozen deer walking 
along the opposite margin of the lake, but Steuben 
told us that he would wait until after dark to cap- 
ture his game. He also told us that the deer were 
in the habit of visiting the wilder lakes of this 
region at night, for the purpose of escaping the 
tormenting flies ; and as he spoke so confidently of 
what he intended to accomplish, we awaited his 
effort with a degree of anxiety. 

Soon as the quiet night had fairly set in, he 
shipped himself on board a wooden canoe (a rickety 
affair, originally bequeathed to this lake by some 
departed Indian,) in the bow of which was a fire- 
jack or torch-holder. Separating this machine 



88 LAKE DELIA. 

from himself, as lie sat in the centre of the canoe, 
was a kind of screen made of bark, which was suffi- 
ciently elevated to allow him to fire his gun from 
underneath; and in this manner, with a loaded 
rifle by his side, did he paddle into the lake. After 
floating upon the water for one hour, in perfect 
silence, he finally heard a splashing near the shore, 
and immediately lighting his torch, he noiselessly 
proceeded in the direction of the sound, where he 
discovered a beautiful deer standing knee-deep in 
the water, and looking at him in stupificd wonder. 
The poor creature could see nothing before it but 
the mysterious light, and while standing in the 
most interesting attitude imaginable, the hunter 
raised his rifle and shot it through the heart. In 
half an hour from that time the carcass of the deer 
was hanging from a dry limb near our camp fire, 
and I was lecturing the hard-hearted hunter on the 
cruelty of thus capturing the innocent creatures of 
the forest. To all my remarks, however, he replied, 
" They were given to us for food, and it matters not 
how we kill them." 

Lake Delia, through which you have to pass in 
going to Moose Lake, lies about two miles west of 
the Newcomb Farm. It is four miles long, and 
less than one mile in width, and completely sur- 
rounded with wood-crowned hills. Near the central 



OTTER SHOOTING. 89 

portion this lake is quite narrow, and so shallow 
that a rude bridge has been thrown across for the 
accommodation of the farm people. The water 
under this bridge is only about four feet deep, and 
this was the only spot in the lake where I followed 
my favorite recreation. I visited it on one occasion 
with my companions, late in the afternoon, when 
the wind was blowing, and we enjoyed rare sport in 
angling for salmon-trout, as well as a large species 
of the common trout. I do not know the number 
that we took, but I well remember that we had 
more than we could conveniently carry. Usually, 
the salmon-trout are only taken in deep water, but 
in this and Moose Lake, they seem to be as much at 
home in shallow as in deep water. 

On one occasion I visited Lake Delia alone, at 
an early hour of the morning. It so happened, 
that I took a rifle along with me, and while quietly 
throwing my fly on the old bridge, I had an oppor- 
tunity of using the gun to some purpose. My 
movements in that lonely place were so exceedingly 
still, that even the wild animals were not disturbed 
by my presence; for while I stood there, a large 
fat otter made his appearance, and when he came 
within shooting distance, I gave him the contents 
of my gun, and he disappeared. I related the 
adventure to my companions on my return to the 



90 XEWCOMB FARM. 

Farm, but they pronounced it a " fish story." 
I finally vindicated my veracity, however, for, on 
the following day, they discovered a dead otter on 
the lake shore, and concluded that I had told the 
truth. 

I must not conclude this chapter without giving 
my reader an additional paragraph about the New- 
comb Farm. My friend Steuben Hewitt's nearest 
neighbour is eight miles off, and as his family is 
small, you may suppose that he leads a retired life. 
One of the days that I spent at his house, was 
an eventful one with him, for a town election was 
held there. The electors met at nine o'clock, and 
the poll closed at five; and as the number of \ 
polled was seven, it may well be supposed that the 
excitement was intense. 

But, with all its loneliness, the Newcomb Farm 
is well worth visiting, if for no other purpose than 
to witness the panorama of mountains which it 
commands. On every side but one, they may be 
seen fading away to mingle their deep blue with the 
lighter hue of the sky ; but chief among them all is 
old Tahawas, king of the Adirondacs. 

The country out of which this mountain rises is 
an imposing Alpine wilderness ; and as it has long 
since been abandoned by the red man, the solitude 
of its deep valleys and lonely lakes, for the most 



RIDICULOUS CHANGE. 91 

part, is now more impressive than that of the far-off 
Rocky Mountains. 

The meaning of the Indian word Tahawas, is Sky 
Piercer, or Sky Splitter, and faithfully describes the 
appearance of the mountain. Its actual elevation, 
above the level of the sea, is five thousand four 
hundred and sixty-seven feet, while that of Mount 
Washington, in New Hampshire, is only six thou- 
sand two hundred and thirty -four; making a dif- 
ference of only seven hundred and sixty-seven feet 
in favour of Washington. Though Tahawas is not 
so lofty as its New England brother, yet its form 
is by far the most picturesque and imposing. Taken 
together, they are the highest pair of mountains in 
the United States. 

Before going one step farther, I must allude to 
what I deem the folly of a certain state geologist, in 
attempting to name the prominent peaks of the 
Adirondac Mountains after a brotherhood of living 
men. If he is to have his way in this matter, the 
beautiful name of Tahawas will be superseded by 
that of Marcy, and several of Tahawas' peers are 
hereafter to be known as Mounts Seward, Wright, 
and Young. Now if this business is not supremely 
ridiculous, I must confess that I do not know the 
meaning of that word. A pretty idea, indeed, to 
scatter to the winds the ancient poetry of the poor 



92 OLD TAHAWAS. 

Indian, and perpetuate in its place the names of 
living politicians. For my part, I agree most 
decidedly with the older inhabitants of the Adiron- 
dac wilderness, who look with perfect indifference 
upon the attempted usurpation of the geologist 
already mentioned. 

For nine months in the year, old Tahawas is 
covered with a crown of snow, but there are spots 
among its fastnesses where you may gather ice and 
snow, even in the dog-days. The base of thia 
mountain is covered with a luxuriant forest of pine, 
spruce and hemlock, while the summit is clothed 
in a net-work of creeping trees, and almost entirely 
destitute of the green which should characterize 
them. In ascending its sides, when near the 
summit, you are impressed with the idea that your 
pathway may be smooth ; but as you proceed, you are 
constantly annoyed by pit-falls, into which your 
legs are foolishly poking themselves, to the great 
annoyance of your back-bone, and other portions of 
your body, which are naturally straight. 

I ascended Tahawas, as a matter of course, and in 
making the trip I travelled some twenty miles, on 
foot and through the pathless woods, employing for 
the same the better part of two days. My com- 
panion on this expedition was John Cheney (of 
whom I have something to write hereafter), and as 



PERSEVERING TRAVELLERS. 93 

he did not consider it prudent to spend the night 
on the summit, we only spent about one hour 
gazing upon the panorama from the top, and then 
descended about half way down the mountain, 
where we built our watch-fire. The view from 
Tahawas is rather unique. It looks down upon 
what appears to be an uninhabited wilderness, with 
mountains fading to the sky in every direction, 
and where, on a clear day, you may count no 
less than twenty-four lakes, including Champlain, 
Horicon, Long Lake, and Lake Pleasant. 

While trying to go to sleep on the night in ques- 
tion, as I lay by the side of my friend Cheney, he 
gave me an account of the manner in which certain 
distinguished gentlemen had ascended Mount Taha- 
was, for it must be known that he officiates as the 
guide of all travellers in this wild region. Among 
those to whom he alluded, were Ingham and Cole, 
the artists, and Hoffman and Headley, the travel- 
lers. He told me that Mr. Ingham fainted a 
number of times in making the ascent, but became 
so excited with all that he saw, he determined to 
persevere, and finally succeeded in accomplishing 
the difficult task. Mr. Hoffman, he said, in spite 
of his lameness, would not be persuaded by words 
that he could not reach the summit ; and when he 
finally discovered that the task was utterly beyond 



94 A STORM. 

his accomplishment, his disappointment seemed to 
have no bounds. 

The night that I spent on Tahawas was not dis- 
tinguished by any event more remarkable than a 
regular rain-storm. Our canopy was composed 
of hemlock branches, and our only covering was a 
blanket. The storm did not set in until about mid- 
night, and my first intimation of its approach was 
the falling of rain-drops directly into my car, as I 
snugged up to my bed-fellow, for the purpose of 
keeping warm. Desperate indeed were the efforts 
I made to forget my condition in sleep, as the 
rain fell more abundantly, and drenched mi . 
well as my companion, to the very skin. The 
thunder bellowed as if in the enjoyment of a very 
happy frolic, and the lightning seemed determined 
to root up a few trees in our immediate vicinity, 
as if for the purpose of giving us more room. 
Finally Cheney rose from his pillow (which was a 
log of wood), and proposed that we should quaff 
a little brandy, to keep us from catching cold, 
which we did, and then made another attempt to 
reach the land of Nod. 

* * * * 

At the break of day, we were awakened from 
a short but refreshing sleep by the singing of 
birds ; and when the cheerful sunlight had reached 



THE PASS. 95 

the bottom of the ravines, we were enjoy- 
ing a comfortable breakfast in the cabin of my 
friend. 

The principal attractions, associated with Tahawas 
are the Indian Pass, the Adirondac Lakes, the 
Adirondac Iron Works, and the mighty hunter of 
the Adirondacs, John Cheney. The Pass, so called, 
is only an old-fashioned notch between the moun- 
tains. On one side is a perpendicular precipice, 
rising to the height of eleven hundred feet ; and, 
on the other, a wood-covered mountain, ascending 
far up into the sky, at an angle of forty-five 
degrees. Through this Pass flows a tiny rivulet, 
over which the rocks are so thickly piled, as fre- 
quently to form pitfalls, that measure from ten 
to thirty feet in depth. Some of these holes are 
never destitute of ice, and are cool and comfortable 
even at midsummer. The Pass is nearly half a 
mile in length, and, at one point, certain immense 
boulders have come together and formed a cavern, 
which is called the " meeting house," and is, per- 
haps, capable of containing a thousand people. The 
rock on either side of the Pass, is a grey granite, and 
its only inhabitants are eagles, which are very 
abundant, and occupy the most conspicuous crag in 
the notch. 



96 EXTENSIVE IRON WORKS. 

The two principal lakes which gem the Aclirondac 
wilderness are named Sanford and Henderson, after 
the two gentlemen who first purchased land upon 
their borders. The former is five miles in length, 
and the latter somewhat less than three, both of 
them varying in width from half a mile to a mile 
and a half. The mountains which swoop down to 
their bosoms are covered with forest, and abound in 
a great variety of large game. There is not, to my 
knowledge, a single habitation on cither of the lakes, 
and the only smoke ever seen to ascend from their 
lonely recesses, comes from the wateh-firc of the 
hunter, or the encampment of surveyors and 
tourists. The water of these lakes is cold and 
deep, and moderately supplied with salmon trout. 
Lake Henderson is admirably situated for the 
exciting sport of deer-hunting, and though it con- 
tains two or three canoes, cannot be entered from 
the West Branch of the Hudson without making 
a portage. 

Through Lake Sanford, however, the Hudson 
takes a direct course, and there is nothing 
to impede the passage of a small boat to within 
a mile of the Iron Works, which arc situated 
in a valley between the two lakes. The fact 
is, during the summer, there is an extensive 



ON LAKE SANFORD. 97 

business done on Lake Sanford, in the way of 
" bringing in " merchandize, and " carrying out " 
the produce of the Forge. It was my misfor- 
tune to make the inward passage of the Lake 
in company with two ignorant Irishmen. Their 
boat was small, heavily laden, very old and 
leaky. This was my only chance, and on 
taking my seat with a palpitating heart, I made 
an express bargain with the men that they should 
keep along the shore on their way up. They 
assented to my wishes, but immediately pulled for 
the very centre of the lake. I remonstrated, but 
they told me there was no danger. The boat was 
now rapidly filling with water, and though one 
was bailing with all his might, the rascals were 
determined not to accede to my wishes. The con- 
clusion of the matter was, that our shallop became 
water-logged ; and on finally going ashore, the mer- 
chandize was greatly damaged, and I was just 
about as wet. as I was angry at the miserable 
creatures, whose obstinacy had not only greatly 
injured their employers, but also endangered my 
own plunder as well as my life. 

The Iron Works alluded to above are located in a 
narrow valley, and in the immediate vicinity of 
Lake Henderson at a place called Mclntyre. 



98 IRON MANUFACTORY 

Sometime in the year 1830, a couple of Scotch 
gentlemen, named Henderson and Mclntyre, pur- 
chased a large tract of wild land lying in this 
portion of New York. In the summer following, 
they passed through this wilderness on an exploring 
expedition, and, with the assistance of their Indian 
guide, discovered that the bed of the valley in ques- 
tion was literally blocked up with iron ore. On 
making farther investigations, they found that the 
whole rocky region about them was composed of 
valuable mineral, and they subsequently established 
a regular built Iron Establishment, which has been 
in operation ever since. A gentleman named 
Robinson afterwards purchased an interest in the 
concern, and it is now carried on by him and 
Mr. Mclntyre, though the principal stock-holders 
are the wife and son of Mr. Henderson, de- 
ceased. 

The metal manufactured by this company is of 
the very best quality of bar-iron ; and an establish- 
ment is now in progress of erection at Tahawas, 
twelve miles down the river, where a party of Eng- 
lish gentlemen intend to manufacture every variety 
of steel. The Iron Works give employment to about 
one hundred and fifty men, whose wages vary from 
one dollar to four dollars 'per day. The society of 



AT TAHAWAS. 99 

the place, you may well imagine, is decidedly 
original ; but the prominent individual, and only 
remarkable man who resides here, is John Cheney, 
the mighty hunter of the Adirondacs. For an 
account of this man, the reader will please look into 
the following chapter. 



100 JOHN CHENEY. 



CHAPTER VII. 

John Cheney, Die Adirondac hunter, and some of his exploits. 
John Cheney's Cahin. June. 

John Cheney was born in New Hampshire, but 
spent bis boyhood on the shores of Lake Champlain, 

and has resided in the Adirondac wilderness about 
thirteen years. He has a wife and one child, and 
lives in a comfortable cabin in the wild village of 
Mclntyre. His profession is that of a hunter, and 
he is in the habit of spending about one half of 
his time in the woods. He is a remarkably amiable 
and intelligent man, and as unlike the idea I had 
formed of him, as possible. I expected, from all 
that I had heard, to see a huge, powerful and hairy 
Nimrod ; but instead of such, I found him small 
in stature, and bearing more the appearance of a 
modest and thoughtful student. 

The walls of his cosy little house, containing one 



JOHN CHENEY. 101 

principal room, are ornamented with a large printed 
sheet of the Declaration of Independence, and two 
engraved portraits of Washington and Jackson. 
Of guns and pistols he has an abundant supply, 
and also a good stock of all the conveniences for 
camping among the mountains. He keeps one 
cow, which supplies his family with all the milk 
they need ; but his favourite animals are a couple of 
hunting dogs named Buck and Tiger. 

As summer is not the time to accomplish much 
in the way of hunting, my adventures with John 
Cheney have not been distinguished by any stirring 
events ; we have, however, enjoyed some rare sport 
in the way of fishing, and obtained many glorious 
views from the mountain peaks of this region. But 
the conversation of this famous Nimrod has inte- 
rested me exceedingly, and wherever we might be, 
under his own roof, or by the side of our mountain 
watch-fires, I have kept him busy in recounting his 
former adventures. I copied into my note-book 
nearly everything he said, and now present my 
readers with a few extracts relating to his hunting 
exploits. I shall use his own words as nearly as 
I can remember them. 

SfC 3|C «fC 3JC 

" I was always fond of hunting, and the first animal 
I killed was a fox ; I was then ten years of age. 



102 EXTRACTS FROM 

Even from childhood I was so in love with the woods 
that I not only neglected school bnt was constantly 
borrowing a gun, or stealing the one belonging to 
my father, with which to follow my favourite amuse- 
ment. He finally found it a useless business to 
make a decent boy of me, and in a fit of desperation 
he one day presented me with a common fowling 
piece. I was the youngest of thirteen children, and 
was always called the black sheep of the family. I 
have always enjoyed good health, and am forty-seven 
years of age ; but I have now passed my prime, and 
don't care about exposing myself to any useless 
dangers. 

* * * * 

" You ask me if I ever hunt on Sunday : no, 
Sir, I do not; I have always been able to kill 
enough on week days to give me a comfortable 
living. Since I came to live among the Adirondacs, 
I have killed six hundred deer, four hundred sable, 
nineteen moose, twenty-eight bears, six wolves, seven 
wild cats, thirty otter, one panther and one beaver. 

* * * * 

" As to that beaver, I was speaking about, it took 
me three years to capture him, for he was an old 
fellow, and remarkably cunning. He was the last, 
from all that I can learn, that was ever taken in the 
State. One of the Long Lake Indians often 



MY NOTE-BOOK. 103 

attempted to trap him, but without success; he 
usually found his trap sprung, but could never get 
a morsel of the beaver's tail ; and so it was with 
me, too ; but I finally fixed a trap under the water, 
near the entrance to his dam, and it so happened 
that he one day stepped into it and was drowned. 
* * * * 

" I was going to tell you something about my 
dogs — Buck and Tiger. I've raised some fifty of 
this animal in my day, but I never owned such a 
tormented smart one as that fellow Buck. I believe 
there's a good deal of the English mastiff in him ; 
but a keener eye than he carries in his head I never 
saw. Only look at that breast of his, did you ever 
see a thicker or more solid one ? He's handsomely 
spotted, as you may see ; but some of the devilish 
Lake Pleasant Indians cut off his ears and tail about 
a year ago, and he now looks rather odd. You may 
not believe it, but I have seen a good many men, 
who were not half as sensible as that very dog. 
Whenever the fellow's hungry, he always seats him- 
self at my feet and gives three short barks, which 
is his way of telling me that he would like some 
bread and meat. If the folks happen to be away 
from home, and he feels a little sharp, he pays a 
regular visit to all the houses in the village, and 
after playing with the children, barks for a dry 



104 EXTRACTS FROM 

crust, which he always receives, and then comes 
back to his own home. He's a great favourite 
among the children, and Pve witnessed more than 
one fight among the boys, because some wicked 
little scamp had thrown a stone at him. When I 
speak to him, he understands me just as well as 
you do. I can wake him out of a sound sleep, and 
by my saying, 'Buck, go up and kiss the baby/ he 
will march directly to the cradle and lick the baby's 
face. And the way he watches that baby, when 
it's asleep, is perfectly curious; he'd tear you to 
pieces in three minutes, if you were to try to take 
it aw 

" Buck is now four years old, and though lie's 
helped me to kill several hundred deer, he never 
lost one for me yet. Whenever 1 go a-huntmg, 
and don't want him along, I have only to say, 
'Buck, you must not go/ and he remains quiet. 
There's no use in chaining him, I tell you, for he 
understands his business. This dog never starts 
after a deer until I tell him to go, even if the 
deer is in sight. Why, 'twas only the other day 
that Tiger brought in a doe to Lake Golden, where 
the two had a desperate fight within a hundred 
yards of the spot where Buck and myself were 
seated. I wanted to try the metal of Tiger, and 
told Buck he must not stir, though I went up to 



MY NOTE-BOOK. 105 

the deer to see what the result would be between 
the fighters. Buck didn't move out of his tracks ; 
but the way he howled for a little taste of blood 
was perfectly awful. I almost thought the fellow 
would die in his agony. Buck is of great use to 
me when I am off hunting, in more ways than 
one. If I happen to be lost in a snow-storm, 
which is sometimes the case, I only have to tell 
him to go home, and if I follow his track I am 
sure to come out in safety ; and when sleeping in 
the woods at night, I never have any other pillow 
than Buck's body. 

" As to my black dog Tiger, he isn't quite two 
years old yet, but he's going to make a great 
hunter. I am trying hard, now-a-days, to break 
him of a very foolish habit of killing porcupines. 
Not only does he attack every one he sees, but 
he goes out to hunt them, and often comes home, 
all covered with their quills. It was only the other 
day, that he came home with about twenty quills 
working their way into his snout. It so happened, 
however, that they did not kill him, because he 
let me pull them all out with a pair of pincers, 
and that, too, without budging an inch. About 
the story people tell, that the porcupine throws its 
quills, I can tell you it's no such thing ; it's only 

f 3 



106 EXTRACTS FROM 

when the quills touch the dog, that they come 
out and work their way through his body." 

5Jn ?JC ?Js J|* 

" As to deer hunting, I can tell you more stories 
in that line than you'd care about hearing. They 
have several ways of killing 'em in this quarter, 
and some of these ways are so infernal mean, I'm 
surprised that there should be any deer left in 
the country. In the first place, there's the ' still 
hunting' fashion, where you lay in ambush near 
a salt lick and shoot the poor creatures, when 
they're not thinking of you. And there's the 
"beastly manner of blinding them with a c torch 
Light ' when they come into the lakes to cool 
themselves, and get away from the Hies, during 
the warm nights of summer. Now I say, that 
no decent man will take this advantage of wild 
game, unless he is in a starving condition. The 
only manly way to kill deer is by ( driving' them, 
as I do, with a couple of hounds. 

" There isn't a creature in this whole wilderness 
that I think so much of as the deer. They are so 
beautiful, with their bright eyes, graceful necks, 
and sinewy legs. And they are so swift, and 
make such splendid leaps when hard pressed ; why, 
I've seen a buck jump from a cliff that was forty 



MY NOTE-BOOK. 107 

feet high, and that, too, without injuring a hair. 
I wish I could get my living without killing this 
beautiful animal ! but I must live, and I s appose 
they were made to die. The ciy of the deer, when 
in the agonies of death, is the awfullest sound I 
ever heard ; Fd a good deal rather hear the scream 
of the panther, provided I have a ball in my pistol, 
and the pistol is in my hand. I wish they would 
never speak so. 

" The time for taking deer is in the fall and 
winter. It's a curious fact, that when a deer is 
at all frightened, he cannot stand upon smooth ice, 
while, at the same time, when not afraid of being 
caught, he will not only walk, but actually trot 
across a lake, as smooth as glass. It's a glorious 
sight to see them running down the mountains, 
with the dogs howling behind; but I don't think 
I ever saw a more beautiful race than I once did 
on Lake Henderson, between a buck deer, and my 
dog Buck, when the lake was covered with a 
light fall of snow. I had put Buck upon a fresh 
track, and was waiting for him on the lake shore ; 
presently, a splendid deer bounded out of the 
woods upon the ice, and as the dog was only a 
few paces off, he led the race directly across the 
lake. Away they ran, as if a hurricane was after 
them, crossed the lake, then back again, they then 



108 EXTRACTS PROM 

made another wheel, and having run to the extreme 
southern point of the Lake, again returned, when 
the deer's wind gave out, and the dog caught and 
threw the creature, into whose throat I soon 
plunged my knife, and the race was ended. 

" I never was so badly hurt in hunting any 
animal as I have been in hunting deer. It was 
while chasing a buck on Cheney's Lake, (which 
was named after me, by Mr. Henderson, in com- 
memoration of my escape), that I once shot myself 
in a very bad way. I was in a canoe, and had 
laid my pistol down by my side, when, as I WW 
pressing hard upon the animal, my pistol slipped 
under me in some queer way, and went off, 
sending a ball into my leg just above the ankle, 
which came out just below the knee. I knew some- 
thing terrible had happened, and though I thought 
that I might die, I was determined that the deer 
should die first ; and I did succeed in killing him 
before he reached the shore. But soon as the 
excitement was over, the pain I had felt before 
was increased a thousand fold, and I felt as if 
all the devils in h — 11 were dragging at my leg, 
the weight and the agony were so great. I had 
never suffered so before, and I thought it strange. 
You may not believe it, but when that accident 
happened I was fourteen miles from home, and 



MY NOTE-BOOK. 109 

yet, even with that used-up leg, I succeeded in 
reaching my home, where I was confined to my 
bed from October until April. That was a great 
winter for hunting which I missed, but my leg 
got entirely well, and is now as good as ever. 

<T* ^ih n> *P 

" The most savage animal that I hunt for among 
these mountains is the moose, or caraboo, as Fve 
heard some people call them. They're quite plenty 
in the region of Long Lake and Lake Pleasant; 
and if the hunter don't understand their ways, he'll 
be likely to get killed before he thinks of his danger. 
The moose is the largest animal of the deer kind, 
or, in fact, of any kind that we find in this part of 
the country. His horns are very large, and usually 
look like a pair of crab-apple trees. He has a long 
head, long legs, and makes a great noise when he 
travels; his flesh is considered first rate, for he 
feeds upon grass, and the tender buds of the moose 
maple ; he is a rapid traveller, and hard to tire out. 
In winter they run in herds ; and when the snow is 
deep, they generally live in one particular place in 
the woods, which we call a " yard." The crack 
time for killing them is in the winter, when we can 
travel on the snow with our braided snow-shoes. 

" I once killed two moose before nine o'clock in the 



110 EXTRACTS FROM 

morning. I had been out a-hunting for two days, 
in the winter, and when night came, I had to camp 
out near the foot of Old Tahawas. When I got up 
in the morning, and was about to start for home, I 
discovered a yard, where lay a couple of bull moose. 
I don't know what they were thinking about, but 
just as soon as they saw me, they jumped up and 
made directly towards the place where I was stand- 
ing. I couldn't get clear of their ugly feet 
without running ; so I put for a large dead tree 
that had blown over, and walking to the butt of it, 
which was some ten feet high, looked down in 
safety upon the devils. They seemed to be very 
mad about something, and did everything they 
could to get at me by running around; and I 
remember they ran together, as if they had been 
yoked. I waited for a good chance to shoot, and 
when I got it, I fired a ball clean through one 
of the animals into the shoulder of the second. 
The first one dropt dead as a door-nail, but the 
other took to his heels, and after going about 
fifty rods, concluded to lie down. I then came 
up to him, keeping my dogs back, for the purpose 
of sticking him, when he jumped up again, and 
put after me like lightning. I ran to a big stump, 
and after I had fairly fixed myself, I loaded again, 



MY NOTE-BOOK. Ill 

and again fired, when the fellow tumbled in the 
snow quite dead. He was eight feet high, and 
a perfect roarer. 

3|S 2fi 3|» 3|C 

" Another animal that we sometimes find pretty- 
plenty in these woods, is the big grey wolf; they 
are savage fellows, and dangerous to meet when 
angry. On getting up early one winter morning, 
I noticed in the back part of my garden, what I 
thought to be a wolf-track. I got my gun, called 
for my dog, and started on the hunt. I found the 
fellow in his den among the mountains. I kindled 
a fire and smoked him out. I then chased him 
for about two miles, when he came to bay. He 
was a big fellow, and my dogs were afraid to 
clinch in; dogs hate a wolf worse than any 
other animal. I found I had a fair chance, so 
I fired at the creature, but my gun missed fire. 
The wolf then attacked me, and in striking him 
with my gun, I broke it all to pieces. I was in a 
bad fix, I tell you, but I immediately threw myself 
on my back with my snow-shoes above me, when 
the wolf jumped right on to my body, and probably 
would have killed me had it not been for my do°- 
Buck, who worried the wolf so boldly that the devil 
left me to fight the dog. While they were fighting 
with all their might, I jumped up, took the barrel 



112 EXTRACTS FROM 

of my gun and settled it right into the brain of the 
savage animal. That was the largest wolf ever 
killed in this wilderness. 



" One of the hardest fights I ever had in these 
woods, was with a black bear. I was coming from 
a winter hunt : the snow was very deep, and I had 
on my snow-shoes. It so happened, as I in- 
coming down a certain mountain, the snow sud- 
denly gave way under me, and I fell into the hole, 
or winter-quarters of one of the blackest and largest 
bears I ever saw. The fellow was just about as 
much frightened as I was, and he scampered out 
of the den in a great hurry. I was very tired, and 
had only one dog with me at the time, but I put 
after him. I had three smart battles with him, and 
in one of them he struck my hand with such 
force, as to send my gun at least twenty or thirty 
feet from where we stood. I finally managed to 
kill the rascal, however ; but not until he had almost 
destroyed the life of my dog. That was a noble 
dog, but in that battle the poor fellow received 
his death-wound. He couldn't walk at the time ; 
and though I was nine miles from home, I took 
him up in my arms and brought him ; but witli 
all my nursing, I could not get him up again, for 



MY NOTE-BOOK. 113 

he died at the end of a few weeks. That dog was 
one of the best friends I ever had. 

n^ 5]^ 5JC 5jC 

" But the most dangerous animal in this country, 
is the yellow panther, or painter. They are not 
very plentiful, and so tormented cunning, that 
it's very seldom you can kill one. They are very 
ugly, but don't often attack a man unless cornered 
or wounded. They look and act very much like 
a cat, only that they are very large. I never killed 
but one, and his body was five feet long, and his 
tail between three and four. At night, their eyes 
look like balls of fire; and when they are after game, 
they make a hissing noise, which is very dreadful 
to hear. Their scream is also very terrible ; and 
I never saw the man who was anxious to hear 
it more than once. They are seldom hunted as 
a matter of business, but usually killed by acci- 
dent. 

" The panther I once killed, I came across in this 
manner. I was out on Lake Henderson with two 
men, catching fish through the ice, when we saw* 
two wolves come on to the ice in great haste, 
looking and acting as if they had been pursued. 
I proposed to the men that we should all go and 
kill them, if we could. They wanted to fish, or 
were a little afraid, so I took my gun and started 



114 EXTRACTS. 

after the game. I followed them some distance, 
when, as they were scaling a ledge, they were attacked 
by a big panther, and a bloody fight took place. 
From the appearance of the animals, I supposed 
that they had met before, which was the cause why 
the wolves came upon the lake. During the scuffle 
between the animals, it is a singular fact, that they 
all three tumbled off the precipice, and fell through 
the air, about one hundred feet. The wolves 
jumped up and ran away, while the panther started 
in another direction. I followed his track, and 
after travelling a number of hours overtook him, 
and managed to shoot him through the shoulder. 
He then got into a tree, and as he was lashing 
his tail, and getting ready to pounce upon me, I 
gave him another ball, and he fell to the earth 
with a crash, and was quite dead. I then went to 
the Lake, and got the men to help me home with 
my booty " 



BURLINGTON. 115 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Burlington— Lake Champlain— Distinguished Men. 

Burlington. June. 

Of all the towns which I have ever seen, Bur- 
lington in Vermont is decidedly one of the most 
beautiful. It stands on the shore of Lake Champ- 
lain, and from the water to its eastern extremity is 
a regular elevation, which rises to the height of 
some three hundred feet. Its streets are broad and 
regularly laid out, the generality of its buildings 
elegant, and its inhabitants well educated, refined, 
and wealthy. My visit here is now about to close, 
and I cannot but follow the impulses of my heart, 
by giving my reader a brief account of its principal 
picturesque attraction, and some information con- 
cerning a few of its public men. 

As a matter of course, my first subject is Lake 



116 LAKE CHAMPLAIN. 

Champlain. In approaching it from the south, 
and particularly from Horicon, one is apt to form a 
wrong opinion of its picturesque features ; but you 
cannot pass through it without being lavish in its 
praise. It extends, in a straight line from south to 
north, somewhat over a hundred miles, and lies 
between the States of Vermont and New York. It 
is the gateway between the country on the St. Law- 
rence and that on the Hudson, and it is therefore 
extensively navigated by vessels and steam-bo 
It is surrounded with flourishing villages, w] 
population is generally made up of New Englanders 
and Canadians. Its width varies from half a mile 
to thirteen, but its waters are muddy, excepting in 
the vicinity of Burlington. Its islands are not 
numerous, but one of them, Grand Isle, is suffi- 
ciently large to support four villages. Its scenery 
may be denominated bold; on the west are the 
Adirondac Mountains ; and at some distance on the 
east, the beautiful Green Mountains, whose gloriou 
commanders are Mansfield Mountain and the Camel's 
Hump. Owing to the width of the Lake at Bur- 
lington, and the beauty of the western mountains, 
the sunsets that are here visible, are exceedingly 
superb. 

The classic associations of this Lake are uncom- 
monly interesting:. Here are the moss-covered 



RUINS OF T1CONDEROGA. 117 

ruins of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, whose 
present occupants are the snake, the lizard, and 
toad. Leaden and iron balls, broken bayonets, and 




RUINS OF TICONDEROGA. 



English Hints, have I picked up on their ramparts, 
which I cannot look upon without thinking of 
death-struggles and the horrible shout of war. 
And there too is Plattsburg, in whose waters Com- 
modore McDonough vindicated the honour of the 
Stars and Stripes of Freedom. 

As to the fishing of this Lake, I have but a word 
to say. Excepting trout, almost every variety of 
fresh-water fish is found here in abundance; but 
the water is not pure, which is ever a serious draw- 
back to my enjoyment in wetting the line. Lake 



118 JOSEPH TORREY. 

Champlain received its present name from a French 
nobleman, who discovered it in 1609, and who died 
at Quebec in 1635. 

The associations I am now to speak of, are of a 
personal character ; and the first, of the three names 
before me, is that of Joseph Torrey, the present 
Professor of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy in 
the University of Vermont. As a citizen, he is one 
of the most amiable and beloved of men. As one 
of the faculty of the University, he occupies a high 
rank, and is a particular favourite with all his 
students. A pleasing evidence of the latter fact I 
noticed a few days since, when it was reported 
among the students that the Professor had returned 
from a visit to the Springs for his health. I was in 
company with some half dozen of them at the time, 
and these are the remarks they made : " How is 
his health ?" "I hope he has improved \" " Now 
shall I be happy ; for ever since he went away, the 
recitation-room has been a cheerless place to me." 
" Now shall I be advised as to my essay V* " Now 
shall my poem be corrected !" "Now, in my 
troubles, shall I have the sympathies of a true 
friend!" Much more meaning is contained in 
these simple phrases than what meets the eye. 
Surely, if any man is to be envied, it is he who 
has a place in the affections of all who know him. 



JOSEPH TORREY. 119 

As a scholar, too, Professor Torrey occupies an 
exalted station, as will be proved to the world in 
due time. He has never published anything but 
an occasional article for a review, and the Memoir 
of President Marsh, (who was his predecessor in 
the University), as contained in the admirable 
volume of his Remains, which should occupy a con- 
spicuous place in the library of every American 
scholar and Christian. 

The memoir is indeed a rare specimen of tha 
kind of writing, beautifully written, and pervaded 
by a spirit of refinement that is delightful. But 
I was mostly interested in Mr. Torrey as a man of 
taste in the Pine Arts. In everything but the 
mere execution, he is a genuine artist, and long 
may I remember the counsels of his experience and 
knowledge. A course of Lectures on the Arts forms 
a portion of his instruction as Professor; and I 
trust that they will eventually be published, for 
the benefit of our country. He has also translated, 
from the German of Schelling, a most admirable 
discourse, entitled " Relation of the Arts of Design 
to Nature;" a copy of which ought to be in the 
possession of every young artist. Mr. Torrey has 
been an extensive traveller in Europe, and being 
a lover and an acute observer of everything con- 
nected with literature and art, it is quite a luxury 



120 J. H. HOPK1XS, 

to hear him expatiate upon " the wonders he has 
seen." 

He also examines everything with the eye of a 
philosopher ; and his conclusions are ever of prac- 
tical utility. Not only can he analyze in a profound 
manner the principles of metaphysical learning, but, 
with the genuine feelings of a poet, descant upon 
the triumphs of poetic genius, or point out the 
mind-charms of a Claude or Titian. He is — but 
I will not say all that I would, for I fear that at our 
next meeting he would chide me for my boyish 
personalities. Let me conclude then, reader, with 
the advice, that, if you ever chance to meet the 
Professor in your travels, you must endeavour to 
secure an introduction, which I am sure you cannot 
but ever remember with unfeigned pleasure. 

John Henry Hopkins, D.D., Bishop of Vermont, 
is another of the principal attractions of Burlington. 
The history of his life, the expression of his counte- 
nance, and his general deportment, all speak of the 
" peace of God." Considering the number and 
diversity of his acquirements, I think him a very 
remarkable man. He is not only, in point of 
character, well worthy of his exalted station ai 
Bishop, but as a theologian, learned and eloquent to 
an uncommon degree. His contributions to the 
world of Letters are of rare value, as he has pub- 



BISHOP OF VERMONT. 121 

lished volumes entitled " Christianity Vindicated/' 
" The Primitive Church/' « The Primitive Creed/' 
"The Church of Rome/' " British Reformation/' 
and " Letters to the Clergy." His style of writing 
is persuasive, vigorous, and clear ; and all his 
conclusions seem to have been formed in full view 
of the Bible, which is a virtue worth noticing in 
these degenerate days. It is because of his honesty 
and soundness, I suppose, that some of his own 
church are disaffected with his straightforward 
conduct. Bishop Hopkins, as a divine, is of the 
same school with the late Bishop White, and there- 
fore among the most eminently wise and good of 
his age and country. 

The Bishop of Vermont is also a man of remark- 
able taste with regard to Architecture, Music, and 
Painting ; in which departments, as an amateur, 
he has done himself great credit. Not only did 
he plan and superintend the building of an edifice 
for his recent school, but has published an interest- 
ing book on Architecture, wherein he appears to be 
as much at home as if he were Christopher Wren. 
Knowing the market to be full of sentimental non- 
sense in the way of songs, he composed, for the benefit 
of his own children, a few with a moral tone, which 
he also set to music, and are now published as a 
worthy tribute to his fine feelings, and the correct- 



122 HON. G. P. MARSH. 

ness of his ear. But lie ranks still higher as a man 
of taste in the capacity of a Painter. The Vermont 
Drawing Book, which he published, is an evidence 
of his ability as a draughtsman. The family por- 
traits which adorn his walls, prove him to have 
an accurate eye for colour, and an uncommon know- 
ledge of effect ; — his oil sketches of scenes from 
nature, give token of an ardent devotion to nature. 
But the best, in my opinion, of all his artistical 
productions, is a picture representing " our Saviour 
blessing little children." Its conception, grouping, 
and execution, are all of very great merit, and I am 
persuaded will one day be looked upon with peculiar 
interest by the lovers and judges of art in this 
country. Though done in water colours, and con- 
sidered by the artist as a mere sketch for a larger 
picture, there are some heads in it that would have 
called forth a compliment even from the lamented 
Allston. Would that he could be influenced to send 
it, for exhibition, to our National Academy ! And 
thus endeth my humble tribute of praise to a gifted 
man. 

I now come to the Hon. George P. Marsh, of 
whom, if I were to follow the bent of my feelings, 
I could write a complete volume. Though yet in 
the early prime of life, he is a sage in learning 
and wisdom. After leaving college, he settled in 



HON. G. P. MARSH. 123 

Burlington, where he has since resided, dividing 
his time between his legal profession and the 
retirement of his study. With a large and liberal 
heart, he possesses all the endearing and interest- 
ing qualities which belong to the true and accom- 
plished gentleman. Like all truly great men, he 
is exceedingly retiring and modest in his deport- 
ment, and one of that rare class who can never 
be excited by the voice of fame. About two years 
ago, almost without his knowledge, he was elected 
to a seat in the lower bouse of Congress, where 
he at once began to make an impression as a 
Statesman. Though few have been his public 
speeches, they are remarkable for sound political 
logic, and the classic elegance of their language. 
As an orator, he is not showy and passionate, but 
plain, forcible, and earnest. 

But it is in the walks of private life, that 
Mr. Marsh is to be mostly admired. His know- 
ledge of the Fine Arts is probably more exten- 
sive than that of any other man in this country, 
and his critical taste is equal to his knowledge ; 
but that department peculiarly his hobby, is 
Engraving. He has a passion for line engravings ; 
and it is unquestionably true, that his collection 
is the most valuable and extensive in the Union. 
He is well acquainted with the history of this 

g 2 



124 HON. G. P. MARSH. 

art from the earliest period, and also with its 
various mechanical ramifications. He is as familiar 
with the lives and peculiar styles of the Painters 
and Engravers of antiquity, as with his household 
affairs ; and when he talks to you on his favourite 
theme, it is not to display his learning:, but to 
make you realize the exalted attributes and mission 
of universal Art. 

As an author, Mr. Marsh has done but little 
m extent, but enough to secure a seat beside- 
such men as Edward Everett, with whom he has 
been compared. He has published (among his 
numerous things of the kind) a pamphlet entitled 
"The Goths in New England/' which is a tine 
>pecimcn of chaste writing and beautiful thought ; 
also another on the " History of the Mechanic 
Arts/ which contains a great deal of rare and 
important information. He has also written an 
" Icelandic Grammar" of one hundred and fifty 
pages, which created a sensation among the 
learned of Europe a few years ago. As to his 
scholarship, —it can be said of him, that he is a 
master in some twelve of the principal modern and 
ancient languages. He has not learned them 
merely for the purpose of being considered a 
literary prodigy, but to multiply his means of 
acquiring information, which information is in- 



HIS LIBRARY. 125 

tended to accomplish some substantial end. He 
is not a visionary, but a devoted lover of truth, 
whether it be in History, Poetry, or the Arts. 

But my chief object in speaking of this gentle- 
man, was to introduce a passing notice of his 
Library, which is undoubtedly the most unique 
in the country. The building itself, which stands 
near his dwelling, is of brick, and arranged 
throughout with great taste. You enter it, as 
it was often my privilege, and find yourself in a 
perfect wilderness of gorgeous books, and port- 
folios of engravings. Of books, Mr. Marsh owns 
some five thousand volumes. His collection of 
Scandinavian Literature is supposed to be the more 
complete than any out of the Northern Kingdoms. 
To give you an idea of this literary treasure, I 
will mention a few of the rarest specimens. In 
old Northern Literature, here may be found the 
Arna Magncean editions of old Icelandic Sagas, 
all those of Suhm, all those of the Royal Society 
of Northern Antiquaries, and, in fact, all those 
printed at Copenhagen and Stockholm, as well as 
in Iceland, with scarcely an exception. This 
Library also contains the great editions of Heiins- 
kringlciy the two Eddas, Kongs-Skugg-Sjo, Konunga, 
Styrilse } the Scriptores Rerum Danicarum, Scrip- 
tores Rerum Svecicarum, Dansk Magazin, the two 



126 mr. marsh's library. 

complete editions of Olaus Magnus, Saxo Gram- 
maticus, the works of Bartholinus, Torfaus, Schon- 
ing, Suhm, Pontoppidan, Grundtvig, Petersen, 
Rask, the Aplantica of Rudbeck, the great works 
of Sjoborg, Liljegren, Geijer, Cronholm, and Strinn- 
holm, all the collections of old Icelandic, Danish, 
and Swedish laws, and almost all the writers, 
ancient and modern, who have treated of the 
language, literature, or history, of the ancient 
Scandinavian race. 

In modern Danish Literature, here may be 
found the works of Holberg, Wessel, Ewald, 
Hejberg, Baggesen, Oehlcnschlager, Nyerup, 
Ingemann, with other celebrated authors ; in 
Swedish, those of Leopold Oxenstjerna, Bell- 
mann, Franzen, Attcrbom, Tegncr, Frederika 
Bremer, and indeed almost all the belles-lettres 
authors of Sweden, the Transactions of the Royal 
Academy of Science, (more than one hundred 
volumes), those of the Swedish Academy, and of 
the Royal Academy of Literature, and many collic- 
tions in documentary history, besides numerous 
other works. 

In Spanish and Portuguese, besides many modern 
authors, here are numerous old chronicles, such as 
the Madrid collection of old Spanish Chronicles 
in seven volumes 4to. ; the Portuguese Livros 



127 

ineditos da Historia Portugueza, five volumes folio ; 
Fernam Lopez, de Brito, Duarte Nunez de Liam, 
Damiam de Goes, de Barros, Castanheda, Resende, 
Andrada, Osorio; also, de Menezes, Mariana, and 
others of similar character. In Italian, most of 
the best authors, who have acquired a European 
reputation; several hundred volumes of French 
works, including many of the ancient chronicles; 
a fine collection in German, including many editions 
of Reyneke der Fuchs, the Niebelungen, and other 
works of the middle ages. In classical literature, 
good editions of the most celebrated Greek and 
Latin authors ; and in English, a choice collection 
of the best authors, among which should be men- 
tioned, as rare in this country, Lord Berners' 
Froissart, Roger Ascham, the writings of King 
James I., John Smith's Virginia (edition of 1624), 
Amadis de Gaul, and Palmerin of England. In 
lexicography, the best dictionaries and grammars 
in all the languages of Western Europe, and many 
biographical dictionaries and other works of refe- 
rence in various languages. Many works also on 
astrology, alchemy, witchcraft, and magic; and a 
goodly number of works on the situation of 
Plato's Atlantis and Elysian Fields, such as Rud- 
beck's Atlantica, Goropius Becanus, de Grave 
Republique des Champs-Elysees, and a host of 



128 MR. marsh's library, 

others in every department of learning, the mere 
mention of which would cause the bookworm a 
thrill of delight. 

In the department of Art, Mr. Marsh pom 
the Musee Francais, Musee Royal, (proof before 
letters) Liber Veritatis, Houghton Gallery, Florence 
Gallery, Publications of Dilettanti Society, and 
many other illustrated works and collections of 
engravings; the works of Bartsch, Ottlcy Mengs, 
Visconti, Winckelmann, and other writers on the 
history and theory of Art; old illustrated works, 
among which are the original editions of Teuer- 
danck and Der Weiss Kunig; and many thousand 
steel engravings, including many originals by 
Albert Durer, Luke of Leydcn, Lucas Cranach, 
Aldegrcucr, Wierx, the Sadelers Xauteuil, (among 
others the celebrated Louis XIV., size of life, and 
a proof of the Cadet h la Perle, by Masson), 
Edelink, Drevet, Maw Antonio, and other old 
engravers of the Italian school, Callot, Ostade, 
Rembrandt, (including a most superb impression 
of the Christ Healing the Sick, the hundred guilder 
Piece, and the portrait of Renier Ansloo), Waterloo, 
Woollett, Sharp, Strange, Earlom, Wille, Ficquet 
Schmidt, Longhi, and Morghen ; in short, nearly 
all the works of all the greatest masters in chalco- 
graphy, from the time of Durer to the present 



„A.DIEU TO BURLINGTON. 129 

day. It were folly for me to praise these various 
works, and I have alluded to them merely for the 
purpose of letting you know something of the 
taste and possessions of Mr. Marsh. His library 
is one of the most delightful places it has ever 
been my fortune to visit, and the day that I 
became acquainted with the man, I cannot but 
consider as an era in my life. Morning, noon, 
and evening did I linger with the master-spirits 
of olden time, collected in his library, and though 
I often stood in mute admiration of their genius, 
I was sometimes compelled to shed a tear, as I 
thought of the destiny, as a writer, which will 
probably be mine. Thank God, there is no such 
thing as ambition in that blessed world above the 
stars, which I hope to attain, — no ambition to 
harass the soul, — for then will it be free to revel, 
and for ever, in its holy and godlike conceptions. 
But a truce to this strain of thought, and also to 
the Lions of Burlington, of whom I now take my 
leave with a respectful bow. 



g 3 



130 



DEPARTURE. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Stage-coach — The Winooski— The Green Mountains— The ruined 
Dwelling— The White Mountains— The Flume— A deep Pool— 
The Old Man of the Mountain — The Basin— Franconia Notch — 
View of the Mountains — Mount Washington — The Notch 
Valley. 

In a Stage-coach. June. 

Tn ree loud knocks at my bed-room door awakened 
me from " a dee]) dream of peace." " The eastern 
stage is ready," said my landlord, as he handed 
me a light; whereupon, in less than five minute* 
after the hour of three, I was on my way to the 
White Mountains, inditing on the tablet of my 
memory, the following disjointed stage-coach rhap- 
sody. 

A fine coach, fourteen passengers, and six superb 
horses. My seat is on the outside, and my i 
on the alert for anything of peculiar interest which 
I may meet with in my journey. Now do the 



THE GREEN MOUNTAINS. 131 

beautiful Green Mountains meet my view. The 
day is breaking, and lo ! upon either side of me, 
and like the two leaders of an army, rise the 
peaks of Mansfield Mountain and the Camel's 
Hump. Around the former the cloud-spirits of 
early morning are picturing the fantastic poetry 
of the sky ; while just above the summit of the 
other, may be seen the new moon and the morning 
star, waiting for the sun to come, like two sweet 
human sisters, for the smiles and kisses of a 
returning father. And now, as the sunbeams 
glide along the earth, we are in the solitude of 
the mountains, and the awakened mist-creatures 
are ascending from the cool and silent nooks in the 
deep ravines. 

Young Dana's description of a ship under full 
sail is very fine, but it does not possess the living 
beauty of that picture now before me, in those 
six bay horses, straining every nerve to eclipse the 
morning breeze. Hold your breath, for the road 
is hard and smooth as marble, and the extended 
nostrils of those matchless steeds speak of a noble 
pride within. There, the race is done, the victory 
theirs ; and now, as they trot steadily along, 
what music in the champing of those bits, and 
the striking of those iron-bound hoofs ! Of all 
the soulless animals on earth, none do I love so 



132 



THE WINOOSKI. 



dearly as the horse, — I sometimes am inclined to 
think that they have souls. I respect a noble 
horse, more than I do some men. Horses are the 
Indian chiefs of the brute creation. 

The Winooski, along whose banks runs the most 
picturesque stage route in Vermont, is an uncom- 
monly interesting stream, — rapid, clear, and cold. 
It is remarkable for its falls and narrow pate 
where perpendicular rocks of a hundred feet or 
more, frown upon its solitary pools. Its chief 
pictorial attraction is the cataract at Waterbury, — 
a deep and jagged chasm in the granite mountain, 
whose hoiTors arc greatly increased by the sight 
and the smothered howl of an avalanche of pure 
white foam. On its banks, and forty miles from 
its outlet near Burlington, is situated Montpelier, 
the capital of Vermont. It is a compact town, 
mostly built upon two streets, and completely 
hemmed in by rich and cultivated mountains. Its 
chief attractions to my mind, however, during 
my short stay, was a pair of deep black eyes, only 
half visible under their drooping lids. 

During one of my rambles near Montpelier, I 
discovered an isolated and abandoned dwelling, 
which stands upon a little plot of green, in the 
lap of the forest near the top of a mountain. 1 
entered its deserted chambers, and spent a long 



DESERTED DWELLING. 133 

time musing upon its solemn admonitions. The 
cellar had become the home of lizards and toads. 
The spider and cricket were masters of the hearth, 
where once had been spun the mountain legend, 
by an old man to the only child of his widowed 
son. They were, as I am told, the last of a long 
line, which once flourished in Britain, and with 
them their name would pass into forgetfulness. 
Only the years of a single generation have elapsed 
since then, but the dwellers upon yonder mountain 
are sleeping in the grave ! And is this passing 
record of their existence the only inheritance they 
have left behind ? Most true ; but would it have 
been better for them, or for us, had they bequeathed 
to the world a noted name, or immense possessions ? 
What is our life ? 

The route between Montpelier and Danville lies 
along the Winooski, and is not less beautiful than 
that down the river. Its chief picture is Marsh- 
field Waterfall. While at Montpelier, a pleasure 
ride was got up by some of my friends, and as 
they were bound to the east, and I was honoured 
with an invitation, I sent on my baggage and 
joined them, so that the monotony of my journey 
was agreeably relieved. We had our fishing-rods 
with us, and having stopped at the fall, we caught 
a fine mess of trout, which we had cooked for 



134 THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

dinner at the next tavern on our way, — and our 
dessert was fine singing from the ladies, and good 
stories from the lips of Senator Phelps, who was 
of the party, and is celebrated for his conversational 
powers. For further particulars concerning that 
expedition, I would refer you to that pair of eyes, 
which I just now mentioned as having beamed 
upon me with a bewitching brilliancy. But alas ! 
the dear creature is already, — excuse me, I cannot, 
I will not speak the hateful word. The lucky fellow 
ought to carry a liberal and kind soul hereafter, 
if he has never done so before. 

At cock-crowing this morning I was again in 
my seat outside of the stage-coach, anxiously wait- 
ing for the mists to evaporate in the east. The 
sun proved to be my friend, and soon as he- 
appeared, they vanished like a frightened troop, 
and he was marching up the sky in the plenitude 
of his glory. And then, for the first time, did 
my vision rest upon the White Mountains, as they 
reposed in the distance, like a mighty herd of 
camels in the solitude of the desert. In the charm- 
ing valley of the Connecticut we only tarried about 
ten minutes, but long enough for me to hear the 
mower whet his scythe, the "lark sing loud and 
high," and the pleasant tinkle of a cow-bell far 
away in a broad meadow. While there I took 



THE FLUME. 135 

a sketch, wherein I introduced the father of New 
England rivers, and the bald peak of Mount Lafa- 
yette, with the storm-inflicted scar upon its brow. 
A noble monument is yonder mountain to the 
memory of a noble man. 

While breakfasting at Littleton this morning, 
I came to the conclusion to leave my baggage and 
visit Franconia. I jumped into the stage, and 
after a very pleasant ride of seventeen miles, found 
myself far into the Notch, in the midst of whose 
scenery I am to repose this night. I reached 
here in time to enjoy an early dinner with "mine 
host;" after which I sallied forth to examine the 
wonders of the place, but was so delighted with 
everything around, that I did not take time to 
make a single sketch. I saw the Flume, and was 
astonished. It is a chasm in the mountain, thirty 
feet wide, about a hundred deep, and some two 
thousand long, and as regular in its shape as 
if it had been cut by the hand of man. Bridging 
its centre is a rock of many tons weight, which 
one would suppose could only have been hurled 
there from the heavens. Through its centre flows 
a little brook, which soon passes over a succession 
of rocky slides, and which are almost as smooth 
and white as marble. And to cap the climax, this 



136 THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN. 

Flume is the centre of as perfect and holy a wilder- 
ness of scenery as could be imagined. 

I have also seen (what should be the pride of 
the Merrimack, as it is upon one of its tributaries) 
the most superb pool in this whole country. The 
fall above it is not remarkable, but the forest- 
covered rocks on either side, and the pool itself, 
are wonderfully fine. In the first place, you must 
remember, that the waters of this whole region 
are cold as ice, and very clear. The pool forms 
a circle of about one hundred feet in diameter, 
and is said to be fifty feet in depth. Owing to 
the fall, it is the "head-quarters" of the trout, 
which arc found all along the stream in great 
abundance. After I had completed a drawing, I 
laid aside my pencils and fixed my fishing rod. 
I threw the line only about two hours and caught 
forty-five trout. Among them was the great-grand- 
father of all trout, as I thought at the time, he 
was seventeen inches long, and weighed two pounds 
and one ounce. 

The Old Man of the Mountain is another of 
the lions of this place. It is a cone-shaped 
mountain (at the foot of which is a small lake), 
upon whose top are some rocks, which have a 
resemblance to the profile of an old man. It is 



THE BASIN. 137 

really a very curious affair. There the old fellow 
stands, as he has stood perhaps for centuries, 
" looking the whole world in the face." I wonder 
if the thunder ever frightens him ? and does the 
lightning play around his brow without making 
him wink ? His business there, I suppose, is to 
protect the " ungranted lands n of New Hampshire, 
or keep Isaac Hill from lecturing the White 
Mountains on Locofocoism. He need not trouble 
himself as to the first fear, for they could not be 
deeded even to a bear ; and as to the second, 
I do not believe the mountains could ever be per- 
suaded to vote for the acquisition of New Territory. 
Every plant upon them speaks of freedom, and 
in their fastnesses does the eagle find a home, — 
their banner-symbols are the stars and stripes, and 
therefore they must be Whigs. 

And another curiosity, which everybody goes 
to see, is called the Basin, — an exquisite little 
spot, — fit for the abode of a very angel. It is 
formed in the solid rock, and though twenty feet 
in depth, you can see a sixpence at the bottom, — it 
is so wonderfully clear. But the wild beauties of 
this Notch, unknown to fame, are charming beyond 
compare. There goes the midnight warning of 
the clock, and I must retire. Would that my 
dreams might be of yonder star, now beaming with 



138 



FRANCONIA NOTCH. 



intense brightness above the dark outline of the 
nearest mountain. 

The distance from Knight's tavern to the western 
outlet of Franconia Notch is eight miles. The 
eastern stage was to pass through about the middle 
of the afternoon, so after eating my breakfast 
I started on, intending to enjoy a walk between 
the mountains. With the conceptions and feelings 
that were with me then, I should have been willing 
to die, for I was very happy. 




FRANCONIA NOTCH. 



Now, as I sat upon a stone to sketch a mass of 
foliage, a little red squirrel came within live feet of 
me, and commenced a terrible chattering, as if his 



HAPPY THOUGHTS. 139 

lady-love had given him the "mitten/' and he 
was inveighing against the whole female sex; 
and now an old partridge with a score of children 
came tripping along the shadowy road, almost 
within my reach, and so fearless of my presence, 
that I would not have harmed one of them even for 
a crown. Both of these were exceedingly simple 
pictures, and yet they afforded me a world of 
pleasure. 

I thought of the favourite haunts of these dear 
creatures — the hollow tree — the bed of dry leaves — 
the cool spring — the mossy yellow log — the rocky 
ledges overgrown with moss — the gurgling brooklet 
stealing through the trees, with its fairy waterfalls 
in a green shadow and its spots of vivid sunlight — 
and of a thousand other kindred gems in the 
wonderful gallery of Nature. And now as I walked 
onward, peering into the gloomy recesses of the 
forest on either side, or fixed my eyes upon the blue 
sky with a few white clouds floating in their glory, 
many of my favourite songs were remembered, and, 
in a style peculiarly my own, I poured them upon 
the air, whilst I was answered by unnumbered 
mountain echoes. Nothing had they to do with 
the place or with each other, but like the pictures 
around me, they were a divine food for my soul — 
so that I was in the enjoyment of a heavenly feast. 



140 HAPPY THOUGHTS. 

Now, as I looked through the opening trees, I saw 
an eagle floating above the summit of a mighty 
cliff; — now, with the speed of a falling star descend- 
ing far into the leafy depths, and then, slowly but 
surely ascending, until hidden from view by a 
passing cloud. Fly on, proud bird, glorious symbol 
of my country's freedom ! What a god-like lii 
thine ! Thou art the " sultan of the sky," and 
from thy craggy home for ever lookest upon the 
abodes of man with indifference and scorn. The 
war-whoop of the savage, the roar of artillery on the 
bloody battle field, and the loud boom of the ocean 
cannon, have fallen upon thy ear, and thou hast 
listened, utterly heedless as to whom belonged the 
victory. "What strength and power in thy pinions ! 
traversing in an hour a wider space 

" Than yonder gallant ship, with all her sails 
Wooing the winds, can cross from mom till eve !" 

When thy hunger-shriek echoes through the wil- 
derness, with terror does the wild animal seek his 
den, for thy talons are of iron and thine eyes of 
fire. But what is thy message to the sun ? Far, 
far into the zenith art thou gone, for ever gone — 
emblem of a mighty hope that once was mine. 

My thoughts were upon the earth once more, and 
my feet upon a hill out of the woods, whence might 






AN INTERESTING RIDE. 141 

be seen the long broad valley of the Amonoosack, 
melting into that of the Connecticut. Long and 
intently did I gaze upon the landscape, with its 
unnumbered farm-houses, reposing in the sunlight, 
and surmounted by pyramids of light blue smoke, 
and also upon the cattle gazing on a thousand hills. 
Presently I heard the rattling wheels of the stage- 
coach ; — one more look over the charming valley, 
and I was in my seat beside the coachman. 

In view of the foregoing and forthcoming facts, 
I cannot but conclude that I am a most lucky 
fellow. My ride from Franconia to Littleton was 
attended with this interesting circumstance. A 
very pretty young lady, who was in the stage, found 
it necessary to change her seat to the outside on 
account of the confinement within. Of course, I 
welcomed her to my side with unalloyed pleasure. 
The scenery was fine, but what does my reader 
suppose I cared for that — as I sat there talking in 
a most eloquent strain to my companion, with my 
right arm around her waist to keep her from falling? 
That conduct of mine may appear " shocking" to 
those who have "never travelled," but it was not 
only an act of politeness but of absolute necessity. 
Neither, as my patient's smile told me, " was it bad 
to take." And how delightful it was to have her 
cling to me, and to hear the beating of her heart, 



142 THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

as the driver swung his whip and ran his horses 
down the hills ! Animal magnetism is indeed a 
great invention — and I am a believer in it, so far 
as the touch of a beautiful woman is concerned. 

Away, away — thoughts of the human world ! for 
I am entering into the heart of the White Moun- 
tains. Ah me ! how can I describe these glorious 
hicrarchs of New England ! How solemnly do they 
raise their rugged peaks to heaven ! Now, in token 
of their royalty, crowned with a diadem of clouds ; 
and now with every one of their cliffs gleaming in 
the sunlight like the pictures of a dream ! For 
ages, have they been the playmates of the storm, 
and held communion with the mysteries of the 
midnight sky. The earliest beams of the morning 
have bathed them in living light, and theirs too 
have been the last kisses of departing day. Man 
and his empires have arisen and decayed, but they 
have remained unchanged, a perpetual mockery. 
Upon their summits, Time has never claimed domi- 
nion. There, as of old, docs the eagle teach her 
brood to fly, and there does the wild bear prowl 
after his prey. There do the waterfalls still leap 
and shout on their way to the dells below, even as 
when the tired Indian hunter, some hundred ; 
agone, bent him to quaff the liquid element. There 
still, does the rank grass rustle in the breeze, and 



MOUNT WASHINGTON. 143 

the pine, and cedar, and hemlock, take part in the 
howling of the gale. Upon Man alone falls the 
heavy curse of time ; Nature has never sinned, 
therefore is her glory immortal. 

As is well known, the highest of these mountains 
was christened after our heloved Washington ; and 
with it, as with him, are associated the names of 
Jefferson, Madison, and Adams. Its height is said 
to be six thousand and eight hundred feet above 
the sea ; but owing to its situation in the centre of 
a brotherhood of hills, it does not appear to be 
so grand an object as South Peak Mountain among 
the Catskills. Its summit, like most of its com- 
panions, is destitute of vegetation, and therefore 
more desolate and monotonous. It is somewhat of 
an undertaking to ascend Mount Washington, 
though the trip is performed on horseback ; but if 
the weather is clear, the traveller will be well repaid 
for his labour. The painter will be pleased with 
the views he may command in ascending the route 
from Crawford's, which abounds in the wildest and 
most diversified charms of mountain scenery. But 
the prospect from the summit of Washington, will 
mostly excite the soul of the poet. Not so much 
on account of what he will behold, but for the 
breathless feeling, which will make him deem him- 
self, for a moment, to be an angel or a god. And 



144 MOUNT WASHINGTON. 

then, more than ever, if he is a Christian, will he 
desire to be alone, so as to anticipate the bliss of 
heaven by a holy communion with the Invisible. 

I spent a night upon this mountain; and my 
best view of the prospect was at the break of day, 
when, as Milton says, 

" morn, her rosy steps in th' Eastern clime 

Advancing, sow'd the earth with orient pearls," 



and, 



Wak'd by the circling hours, with rosy hand 
Unbarr'd the gates of light ;" 



or, when in the language of Shakspearc, 

" The grey-eyed morn smiled on the frowning night, 
Checkering the eastern clouds with streaks of light." 

Wonderfully vast, and strangely indistinct and 
dreamy, was the scene spread out on every side. 
To the west lay the superb Connecticut, with its 
fertile valley reposing in the gloom of night ; while 
to the east, the ocean-bounded prospect, just burst- 
ing into the life of light, was faintly relieved by 
Winnepiseogee and Sebago lakes ; and, like rockets 
along the earth, wandered away the Merrimack, 
the Saco, and the Androscoggin, to their ocean 
home, — the whole forming an epic landscape, such 
as we seldom behold excepting in our sleep. Hea- 
vens ! with what exquisite delight did I gaze upon 



NOTCH VALLEY. 145 

the scene, as in the eyes of truth and fancy it 
expanded before my mind. Yonder, in one of a 
hundred villages, a young wife, with her first-born 
child at her side, was in the midst of her morning 
dream ; and there, the pilgrim of fourscore years 
was lying on his couch in a fitful slumber, as the 
pains of age crept through his frame. There, on 
the Atlantic shore, the fisherman in the sheltering 
bay, hoisted anchor and spread his sail for the sea ; 
and there, the life-star of the lighthouse was extin- 
guished, again at its stated time to appear with 
increased brilliancy. In reality, there was an ocean 
of mountains all around me ; but in the dim light 
of the hour, and as I looked down upon them, it 
seemed to me that I stood in the centre of a plain, 
boundless as the universe ; and though I could not 
see them, I felt that I was in a region of spirits, 
and that the summit of the mount was holy ground. 
But the morning was advancing, the rising mists 
obscured my vision, and as I did not wish to have 
that day -break picture dissipated from my mind, I 
mounted my faithful horse, and with a solemn awe 
at heart, descended the mountain. 

The ride from the Notch House, (kept by the 
celebrated hunter, named Crawford), through the 
Notch Valley, some twelve miles long, is magnifi- 
cent. First is the Gap itself, only some twenty 

H 



146 AWFUL STORM. 

feet in width, and overhung with jagged rocks of 
wondrous height ; and then the tiny spring, alive 
with trout, which gives birth to the untamed Saco. 
A few more downward steps, and you are in full 
view of a bluff, whose storm-scathed brow seems 
to prop the very heavens, its grey shadows strongly 
contrasting with the deep blue sky. A little 
further on, and you find yourself in an amphitheatre 
of mountains, whose summits and sides are barren 
and desolate, where the storms of a thousand years 
have exhausted their fury. Downward still, and 
farther on, and you come to the memorable Wiley 
cottage, whose inhabitants perished in the avalanche 
or slide of 18:26. The storm had been unceasing 
tor some days upon the surrounding country, and 
the dwellers of the cottage were startled at mid- 
night by the falling earth. They fled, and were 
buried in an instant ; and up to the present time, 
only one of the seven bodies has ever been found. 
As it then stood, the dwelling still stands — a 
monument of mysterious escape, as well as of the 
incomprehensible decrees of Providence. The Saco 
river, which runs through the valley, was lifted 
from its original bed, and forced into a new channel. 
The whole place, which but a short time before 
was " a beautiful and verdant opening amid the 
surrounding rudeness and deep shadow, is now 



A RURAL PICTURE. 147 

like a stretch of desolate sea-shore after a tempest, 
— full of wrecks, buried in sand and rocks, crushed 
and ground to atoms/ 

After witnessing so much of the grand and 
gloomy, I was glad to retrace my course back to 
a more tame country. My last view of Mount 
Washington and its lordly companions was the 
most beautiful. The sun was near his setting, and 
the whole sky was suffused with a glow of 
richest yellow and crimson, while to the eastward 
hung two immense copper-coloured clouds just 
touching the outline of the mountains ; and through 
the hazy atmosphere the mountains themselves 
looked cloud-like, but with more of the bright blue 
of heaven upon them. In the extensive middle 
distance faded away wood-crowned hills, and in 
the foreground an exquisite little farm, with the 
husbandman' s happy abode almost hidden by groups 
of elms, and with the simple figures, only a few 
paces off, of a little girl sitting on a stone, with 
a bunch of summer flowers in her hand, and a 
basket of berries and a dog at her side, One more 
yearning gaze upon the dear old mountains, and 
I resumed my pilgrimage towards the north. 



h 2 



148 MONTREAL. 



CHAPTER X. 

Montreal. 



Montreal. June. 



With some things in Montreal I have been 
pleased, but with others a good deal dissatisfied. 
The appearance which it presents from every point 
of view is imposing in the extreme. Its numerous 
church towers and extensive blocks of stores, its 
extensive shipping and noble stone wharves, com- 
bine to give one an idea of great wealth and 
liberality. On first riding to my hotel I was struck 
with the cleanliness of its streets; and, on being 
shown to my room, I was convinced that the hotel 
itself (Donegana's) was of the first water. It 
abounds in public buildings, which are usually 
built of lime-stone, and the city extends along 
the river St. Lawrence about three miles. The 



THE CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL. 149 

streets in the older parts of the town are as pic- 
turesque and narrow as those of the more ancient 
cities of the old world, but in the modern portions 
they are quite regular and comfortable. The prin- 
cipal street is Notre Dame, which always presents, 
on a pleasant day, a gay and elegant appearance. 

Generally speaking, its churches are below me- 
diocrity, but it has one architectural lion worth 
mentioning, the Catholic Cathedral. It faces a 
square called Place d'Armes, and presents an im- 
posing appearance. It is built of stone, and said to 
be after the Norman- Gothic order of architecture, 
but I should think it a mixture of a dozen dis-orders. 
Its extreme length is two hundred and fifty-five 
feet, breadth one hundred and thirty-five, and its 
height seventy-two feet. It has also two towers, 
which measure two hundred and twenty feet to their 
summit. The windows in these towers are closed 
with coarse boards ; and yet it cost four hundred 
thousand dollars. The ground-floor is covered with 
pews capable of seating eight thousand people, 
while the aisles and galleries might hold two thou- 
sand more. The galleries are supported by wooden 
pillars, which reminded me of a New York barber's 
sign. The interior has a naked and doleful ap- 
pearance ; the large window above the altar is 



150 POPULATION OF MONTREAL. 

wretchedly painted ; the altar itself is loaded with 
gewgaws, and, of the many paintings which meet 
you in every direction, there is not one for which 
I would pay ten dollars. The organ resembles a 
bird-house, and the music perpetrated there every 
day in the year would jar upon the ear of even an 
American Indian. And when it is remembered 
that this church was built by one of the wealthiest 
corporations on the continent, it is utterly impos- 
sible to entertain a feeling of charity towards the 
founders thereof. 

The population of Montreal is now estimated at 
forty thousand, one-half of whom arc Roman 
Catholics, one quarter Protestants, and the re- 
mainder nothing in particular. By this statement 
it will be readily seen that the establishments of the 
Catholics must be the most abundant. Nunneries 
are consequently very numerous, some of them well 
endowed ; and to those who have a passion for such 
affairs must be exceedingly interesting. 

But I wish to mention one or two more specimens 
of architecture. The market of Montreal is built 
of stone, situated near the river, and remarkably 
spacious and convenient in all its arrangements. 
It eclipses anything of the kind that we can boast 
of in the States. The only monument in the citv 



PUBLIC EDIFICES. 151 

of any note is a Doric column, surmounted with 
a statue, and erected in honour of Lord Nelson. 
The entire column is seventy feet high, and gives 
an air of elegance to that portion of Notre Dame 
where it stands. On the four sides of the pedestal 
are pictorial representations, in alto relievo, repre- 
senting Nelson in some of his memorable battles. 
It was erected by the British inhabitants of Montreal 
at a cost of near six thousand dollars. 

One of the more striking peculiarities of this city 
is the fact that every body has to live, walk, and 
sleep at the point of a bayonet. Military quarters 
are stationed in various portions of the city, and 
soldiers meet you at every corner, marching to and 
fro, and sometimes puffed up with ignorance and 
vanity. The last woman, I am sorry to say, who 
has become an outcast from society, attributes her 
misfortune to a soldier ; but the officers of the 
British army stationed here are generally well- 
educated and agreeable gentlemen. 

The people whom you meet in the streets of 
Montreal seem to come from almost every nation 
in the world. Now it may be the pompous Eng- 
lishman, who represents some wilderness district in 
Parliament, and now it may be the cunning Scotch- 
man, or a half-famished Irishman. Sometimes it 



152 MOUNT ROYAL. 

is the speculating American, or the humble, but 
designing Jew, the gay and polite Habitan, or a 
group of wandering Indians from the far north. 
The better class of Montreal people (so called by 
a fashionable world) are the British settlers, or 
rather the English population. Generally speaking, 
they are highly intelligent, somewhat arbitrary in 
expressing their opinions, but they entertain hos- 
pitable feelings towards strangers. They boast of 
their mother-country, as if her glory and power 
were omnipotent, and an occasional individual may 
be found who will not scruple to insult an American 
if he happens to defend his own. In religion, they 
are generally Episcopalians; they hate the Habitan, 
look with contempt upon the poor Irish, and add 
their brethren of Scotland with a patronising air. 
They drink immense quantities of wine; and those 
who happen to be the illiterate members of the 
Provincial Parliament, think themselves the greatest 
people on earth. 

The island upon which Montreal is situated is 
seventy miles in circumference, and was once (if 
not now) the property of an order of Catholic 
priesthood. In the rear of the city rises a noble 
hill, called Mount Royal, from which it derives 
its name. The hill itself is thickly wooded, but 



SABBATH AT MONTREAL. 153 

the surrounding country is exceedingly fertile, and 
studded with elegant country seats and the rural 
abodes of the peasantry. A ride around the Mount, 
on a pleasant day, is one of the most delightful 
imaginable, commanding a view of Montreal and 
the St. Lawrence valley, which is grand beyond 
compare. 

To appreciate the unique features of Montreal, 
it is necessary that you should be there on the 
Sabbath, the gala-day of the Catholics. Then it is 
that the peasantry flock into the city from all 
directions, and, when they are pouring into the 
huge Cathedral by thousands, dressed in a thousand 
fantastic fashions, cracking their jokes and laughing 
as they move along, the entire scene is apt to fill 
one with peculiar feelings. It was beautiful to look 
at ; but the thought struck me that I should hate 
to live in the shadow of that Cathedral for ever. 
But if you chance to take a walk in the suburbs on 
a Sabbath afternoon, you will notice much that 
cannot but afford you real satisfaction. You will 
find almost every cottage a fit subject for a picture, 
and the flocks of neatly-dressed, happy, and polite 
children playing along the roads, together with 
frequent groups of sober men, sitting in a porch, 
and the occasional image of a beautiful girl or 

h 3 



154 SABBATH AT MONTREAL. 

contented mother leaning out of a window — all 
these things, I say, constitute a charm which is not 
met with everywhere. But enough. Montreal is 
a fine city, and I trust that it will yet be my 
fortune to visit it again, and see more of its polished 
society. 



QUEBEC. 155 



CHAPTER XI. 

Quebec. 

Quebec. June. 
I came from Montreal to this city in the day 
time, and consequently had an opportunity of 
examining this portion of the St. Lawrence. The 
river opposite Montreal runs at the rate of six 
miles per hour, and is two miles wide ; it preserves 
this breadth for about sixty miles, and then expands 
into the beautiful and emerald-looking Lake of St. 
Peter, after which it varies from one. to five in 
width until it reaches Quebec, which is distant 
from Montreal one hundred and eighty miles. 
Above St. Peter, the shores vary from five to fifteen 
feet in height, but below the lake they gradually 
become more elevated, until they measure some 
three hundred feet in the vicinity of Quebec. The 



156 QUEBEC. 

country between the two Canadian cities is well 
cultivated, and on either side may be seen a con- 
tinued succession of rural cottages. 

Our steamer approached Quebec at the sunset 
hour, and I must say that I have never witnessed a 
more superb prospect than the lofty Citadel-city, 
the contracted St. Lawrence, the opposite headland 
called Point Levi, and the far-distant land, which 
I knew to be Cape Tourment. A stiff breeze was 
blowing at the time, and some twenty ships were 
sailing to and fro, while we had to make our way 
into port by winding between and around some three 
hundred ships which were at anchor. 

I have seen much in this goodly city which has 
made a deep impression on my mind. The promon- 
tory called Cape Diamond, upon which it stands, 
is formed by the junction of the St. Charles and 
St. Lawrence rivers, and rises to the height of 
three hundred and fifty feet above the water. The 
city is built from the water's edge along the base 
of the cliff, and from thence in a circuitous manner 
ascends to the very borders of the Citadel and 
ramparts. There is but one street leading from 
the Lower to the Upper Town, and that is narrow 
and very steep, and the gateway is defended by 
a number of large cannon. The city is remarkably 



RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENTS. 157 

irregular, and, as many of the buildings are very 
ancient, its appearance is picturesque and romantic. 
The fortifications cover an area of forty acres, and 
beneath them are many spacious and gloomy vaults, 
for the reception of ammunition and stores during 
a time of war. Receding into the interior, from 
the very brow of the Fortress, are the Plains of 
Abraham, which are covered with a rich green sod, 
and planted with unnumbered cannon. Their his- 
torical associations are numerous, and, as they would 
fill a chapter in themselves, I will refrain from dwel- 
ling upon them at this time. 

The religious establishments of Quebec are 
numerous, and belong mostly to the Roman Catho- 
lics ; like those of Montreal they are very ancient 
and well endowed ; but they did not interest me, 
and I am sure my description of them would not 
interest my reader. As a matter of course, I visited 
the French Cathedral. It seems to be as old as 
the hills, and yet all the windows of the principal 
tower are roughly boarded up. On entering the 
edifice, which is crowded with gilded ornaments, 
I could not fix my eye upon a single object which 
suggested the idea of richness. The sculpture, 
the paintings, and even the gilding, are all without 
merit ; and what greatly added to my disgust was, 
that I could not obtain a civil answer from a single 



158 MONTCALM AND WOLFE. 

one of the many boorish boys and men, who were 
fussing about the church. 

In the front of an extensive promenade, just 
below the Citadel, stands the monument erected 
to the memory of Montcalm and Wolfe. The 
gentleman who contributed the largest sum for 
its erection, was Lord Dalhousie. It is a handsome 
obelisk, and was designed by a military gentleman 
named Young. The principal inscription on the 
column is characteristic of the English nation, 
and is what an American would call " a puff 
of Dalhousie" — even though it be chiselled in 
Latin. The annoying effect of this inscription, 
however, is counteracted by another, which is also 
in Latin, and very beautiful. It was composed 
by J. C. Fisher, Esq., LL.D., founder of the Quebec 
Gazette, and is as follows : 

" Military virtue gave them a common death, 
History a common fame, 
Posterity a common monument." 

The Golden Dog is another curiosity which will 
attract the attention of the visitor to Quebec. It 
is the figure of a dog, rudely sculptured in relievo, 
and richly gilded, which stands above the entrance 
of an ancient house, which was built by M. Philli- 
bert, a merchant of this city, in the time of M. 



THE GOLDEN DOG. 159 

Bigot, the last Intendant under tlte French Govern- 
ment. Connected with it is the following curious 
story, which I copy from an old record : 

" M. Phillibert and the Intendant were on bad 
terms, but, under the system then existing, the 
merchant knew that it was in vain for him to seek 
redress in the colony; and, determining at some 
future period to prefer his complaint in France, 
he contented himself with placing the figure of 
a sleeping dog in front of his house, with the 
following lines beneath it, in allusion to his situa- 
tion with his powerful enemy : 

" ' Je suis un chien qui ronge l'os, 

En le rongeant je prends raon repos — 
Un tems viendra qui n'est pas venu — 
Que je mordrai qui m'aura mordu.' 

" This allegorical language was, however, too 
plain for M. Bigot to misunderstand it. A man 
so powerful easily found an instrument to avenge 
the insult, and M. Phillibert received, as the reward 
of his verse, the sword of an officer of the garrison 
through his back, when descending the Lower 
Town Hill. The murderer was permitted to leave 
the colony unmolested, and was transferred to a 
regiment stationed in the East Indies. Thither 
he was pursued by a brother of the deceased, who 



160 THE FORTRESS. 

had first sought him in Canada, when he arrived 
to settle his brother's affairs. The parties, it is 
related, met in the public street of Pondicherry, 
drew their swords, and, after a severe conflict, the 
assassin met a more honourable fate than his crime 
deserved, and died by the hand of his antago- 
nist." 

I know not that there are any other curiosities 
in Quebec really worth mentioning, and I willingly 
turn to its natural attractions. The Fortress itself 
is undoubtedly one, if not the most formidable 
on the Continent, but I fell in love with it on 
account of its observatory features. To ramble 1 1 
its commanding ramparts, without knowing or 
caring to know a solitary individual, has been to 
me an agreeable and unique source of entertain- 
ment. At one time I leaned upon the balustrade, 
and looked down upon the Lower Town. It was 
near the hour of noon. Horses and carriages, 
men, women, and children, were hurrying through 
the narrow streets, and ships were in the docks 
discharging their cargoes. I looked down upon 
all these things at a single glance, and yet the 
only noise I heard was a hum of business. Even 
the loud clear shout of the sailor, as he tugged 
away at the mast-head of his ship, could hardly 



THE SIGNAL HOUSE. 161 

be heard stealing upward on the air. Doves were 
flying about high above the roofs, but they were 
so far below my point of vision, that I could not 
hear the beating of their wings. 

But the finest prospect that I have enjoyed in 
this city was from the summit of the Signal- House, 
which looms above the Citadel. I visited this spot 
just as the sun was setting, and every thing was 
enveloped in a golden atmosphere. Beneath me 
lay the city, gradually lulling itself to repose ; on 
the west, far as the eye could reach, faded away 
the valley of the Upper St. Lawrence ; towards the 
north, winding its way between high and well- 
cultivated hills, was the river St. Charles; towards 
the eastward, rolling onward in its sublimity like 
an ocean across the continent, was the flood of 
the Lower St. Lawrence, whitened by more than 
a hundred sails ; and towards the south reposed 
a picturesque country of hills and dales, beyond 
which I could just discern some of the mountain- 
peaks of my own dear "Fatherland." Strange 
and beautiful beyond compare was the entire 
panorama, and how was its influence upon me 
deepened, as a strain of martial music broke upon 
the silent air, and then melted into my very heart ! 
I knew not whence it came, or who were the 



162 POPULATION OF QUEBEC. 

musicians, but I "blessed them unaware," and 
as my vision again wandered over the far-off hills, 
I was quite happy. 

The population of Quebec is estimated at thirty 
thousand, and the variety is as great as in Montreal. 
A large proportion of the people whom you see parad- 
ing the streets are soldiers, and chief among them 
I would mention the Scotch Highlanders, who 
are a noble set of men, and dress in handsome 
style. 

Quebec, upon the whole, is a remarkable place, 




FALLS OF MONTMORENCY. 



and well worth visiting. The environs of the city 
are also interesting, and a ride to the Falls of 



FALLS OF MONTMORENCY. 163 

Montmorency, seven miles down the river, and 
back again by an interior road, will abundantly 
repay the tourist for all the trouble and expense 
to which he may be subjected. 



164 JOURNEY DOWN- 



CHAPTER XII. 

A sail down the St. Lawrence — Sword-Fi>li — ( hasing a Whale. 

Tadousac. June. 

I have not visited Canada for the purpos 
examining her cities, and studying the character 
of her people, but solely witli a view of hunting 
up some new scenery, and having a little sport 
in the way of salmon fishing. I am writing this 
chapter at the mouth of probably the most remark- 
able river in North America. But, before entering 
upon a description of my sojourn here, it is meet, 
I ween, that I should record an account of my 
journey down the St. Lawrence. 

On reaching Quebec, I was informed that there 
was no regular mode of conveyance down the great 
river, and that I should have to take passage in a 
transient ship or schooner, which would land me 



THE ST. LAWRENCE. 165 

at my desired haven. This intelligence had a ten- 
dency to damp my spirits, and I had to content 
myself by sauntering about the Citadel-city. Among 
the places I visited was the fish market, where it 
was my good fortune to find a small smack, which 
had brought a load of fresh salmon to market, and 
was on the point of returning to the Saguenay for 
another cargo. In less than thirty minutes after I 
first saw him, I had struck a bargain with the 
skipper, transferred my luggage on board the 
smack, and was on my way to a region which 
was to me unknown. 

We hoisted sail at twelve o'clock, and were 
favoured by a stiff westerly breeze. Everything, 
in fact, connected with the voyage was beautifully 
accidental, and I had a u glorious time." In the 
first place, our craft was just the thing — schooner- 
rigged, a fast sailer, and perfectly safe. The 
skipper, named Belland, was a warm-hearted and 
intelligent Frenchman, whose entire crew consisted 
of one boy. The day was superb, and the scenery 
of the river appeared to me more like the work 
of enchantment than nature. 

The appearance of Quebec, from the eastward, 
is imposing in the extreme. Standing as it does 
upon a lofty bluff, its massive ramparts, and tin- 



166 JOURNEY DOWN 

covered roofs, domes, and cupolas, suggest the 
idea of immense power and opulence. Just below 
the city, the St. Lawrence spreads out to the width 
of three or four miles, while from the margin of 
either shore fade away a continued succession of 
hills, which vary from five hundred to fifteen 
hundred feet in height. Those upon the north 
shore are the highest, and both sides of the river, 
for a distance of some twenty miles below the 
city, are plentifully sprinkled with the white 
cottages of the Canadian peasantry. As you 
proceed, however, the river gradually widens, the 
hills upon the north shore become more lofty, 
reaching the elevation of two thousand feet ; and, 
while you only occasionally discover a farm-house 
upon their summits, the southern shore continues 
to bear the appearance of a settled country, where 
the spire of a Catholic Church is frequently seen 
looming above a cluster of rural residences. In 
descending the river, the first pictorial feature 
which attracts attention is the Fall of Montmo- 
rency, pouring the waters of a noble tributary 
immediately into the St. Lawrence. Just below 
this fall the river is divided by the island of 
Orleans, which measures about twenty miles in 
length, and five in breadth. It is partly covered 



THE ST. LAWRENCE. 167 

with forest, and partly cultivated, and, though 
the shores are rather low, it contains a number 
of points which are a hundred feet high. At 
the eastern termination of this island is the 
parish of St. Laurent, a remarkably tidy French 
village, whose inhabitants are said to be as simple 
in their manners as they are virtuous and ignorant 
of the world at large. On a smaller island, which 
lies some thirty miles below Quebec, and directly 
opposite a noble cape called Tourment, the qua- 
rantine station for the shipping of the river is si- 
tuated ; and when I passed this spot I counted no 
less than forty-five ships at anchor, nearly all of 
which were freighted with foreign paupers, who 
were then dying of the ship fever at the rate of 
one hundred and fifty individuals per day. I 
might here mention that the vessels usually seen 
on this part of the St. Lawrence are merchant 
ships and brigs, which are chiefly and extensively 
employed in the lumber and timber trade. Another 
island in this portion of the St. Lawrence, which 
attracts attention from its peculiar sylvan beauty, 
is called Goose Island, and owned by a Sisterhood 
of Nuns, who have cultivated it extensively. The 
eastern portion of it is yet covered with forest ; 
the channels on either side are not far from five 



168 JOURNEY DOWN THE ST. LAWRENCE. 

miles wide, and it is distant about fifty miles from 
Quebec. 

We landed here at sunset ; and while my com- 
panions were building a watch-fire and cooking a 
supper of fish, pork, and onions, I amused myself 
by taking sundry observations. I found the vege- 
tation of the island very luxuriant, the common 
hard woods of the north prevailing ; but its founda- 
tion seemed to be composed of two distinct species 
of sandstone. Both varieties were of the finest 
grain, and while one was of a rich Indian red, the 
other was a deep blue. This portion of the St. 
Lawrence is a good deal blocked up by extensive 
reefs composed of these identical sandstones, and at 
one point they extend so nearly across the river ae 
to render the ship navigation extremely dangerous. 
On subsequently examining the high hills on the 
north shore, in this vicinity, I found them to be of 
solid granite, veined with red marble and exten- 
sive beds of quartz, and covered with a stunted 
forest of pine and hemlock. But this geological 
dissertation is keeping my pen from describing a 
night picture, which it was my privilege to witness 
on this beautiful but badly named island, where, 
for sundry reasons, we intended to spend the 
night. 



THE NORTHERN LIGHTS. 169 

Our supper was ended, and the skipper had paid 
his last visit to the little craft, and, with his boy, 
had smoked himself to sleep by our camp-fire. 
The sky was without a cloud, but studded with 
stars, and the breeze which kissed my cheek was 
soft and pleasant as the breath of one we dearly 
love. I had seated myself upon a rock, with my 
face turned towards the north, when my attention 
was attracted by a column of light which shot up- 
ward to the zenith behind the distant mountains. 
The broad expanse of the St. Lawrence was without 
a ripple, and the mountains, together with the 
column of light and the unnumbered stars, were 
distinctly mirrored in its bosom. 

While looking upon this scene, the idea struck 
me that the moon was about to rise; but I soon 
saw a crimson glow stealing up the sky, and knew 
that I was looking upon the fantastic performances 
of the Northern Lights. Broad, and of the purest 
white, were the many rays which shot upward from 
behind the mountain : and at equal^ distances 
between the horizon and the zenith were displayed 
four arches of a purple hue, the uppermost one 
melting imperceptibly in the deep blue sky. On 
again turning my eyes upward, I discovered that 
the columns and arches had all disappeared, and 



170 BATTLE BETWEEN' 

that the entire sky was covered with a crimson 
colour, which resembled a lake of liquid fire tossed 
into innumerable waves. Strange were my feelings 
as I looked upon this scene, and thought of the 
unknown wilderness before me, and of the Being 
whose ways are past finding out, and who holdeth 
the entire world, with its cities, mountains, rivers, 
and boundless wildernesses, in the hollow of his 
hand. 

Long and intently did I gaze upon this wonder 
of the north ; and at the moment that it was fading 
i way, a wild swan passed over my head, sailing 
towards Hudson's Bay, and as his lonely song 
(chocd along the silent air, I retraced my steps to 
the watch-fire and was soon a dreamer. 

That portion of the St. Lawrence extending 
between Goose Island and the Saguenay, is about 
twenty miles wide. The spring tides rise and fall 
a distance of eighteen feet ; the water is salt, but 
clear and cold, and the channel very deep. Here 
it was that I first saw the black seal, the white 
porpoise, and the black whale. But speaking of 
whales reminds me of a "whaling" fish story. 
A short distance above the Saguenay river there 
shoots out into the St. Lawrence, to the distance of 
about eight miles, a broad sand-bank, which greatly 



A WHALE AND SWORD-FISH. 171 

endangers the navigation. In descending the great 
river we had to double this cape, and it was at this 
point that I first saw a whale. The fellow had 
been pursued by a sword-fish, and when we dis- 
covered him his head was turned towards the beach, 
and he was moving with great rapidity, occasionally 
performing a most fearful leap, and uttering a 
sound that resembled the bellowing of a thousand 
bulls. The whale must have been forty feet long, 
and his enemy nearly twenty ; and as they hurried 
on their course with great speed, the sight was 
indeed terrible. Frantic with rage and pain, it so 
happened that the more unwieldly individual forgot 
his bearings, and in a very few minutes he was 
floundering about on the sand-bar in about ten feet 
of water, when the rascally sword-fish immediately 
beat a retreat. After awhile, however, the whale re- 
solved to rest himself ; but, as the tide was going 
out, his intentions were soon changed, and he began 
to roll himself about and slap the water with his 
tail for the purpose of getting clear. His efforts 
in a short time proved successful; and when we 
last saw him he was in the deepest part of the river, 
moving rapidly towards the Gulf, and spouting up 
the water as if congratulating himself upon his 
narrow escape. 

i 2 



172 THE 8AGUENAY. 

In about two hours after witnessing this incident, 
our boat was moored at the mouth of the Saguenay; 
-and of the comparatively unknown wilderness which 
this stream waters, my readers will find some in- 
formation in the next chapter. 



THE SAGUENAY RIVER. 173 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The Saguenay River — Chicoutimi — Storm Picture — Hudson's Bay 
Company — Eminent Merchant — The Mountaineer Indians — 
Tadousac — Ruin of a Jesuit Establishment. 

Tadousac. July. 

About one hundred and fifty miles north of the 
St. Lawrence, and on one of the trails leading to 
Hudson's Bay, lies a beautiful Lake called St. John. 
It is about forty miles long, and surrounded with a 
heavily timbered and rather* level country. Its in- 
lets are numerous, and twelve of them are regular 
rivers. Its waters are clear, and abound in a great 
variety of uncommonly fine fish. The principal 
outlet to this Lake is the Saguenay river, which 
takes a southerly direction, and empties into the 
St. Lawrence. It is the largest tributary of the 
great river, and unquestionably one of the most 
remarkable on the continent. Its original Indian 



174 THE SAGUENAY. 

name was Chicoutimi, signifying Beep Water ; but 
the early Jesuit missionaries, who have scattered 
their Saint-anic names over this entire country, 
thought proper to give it the name which it now 
bears, and the round-about interpretation of which 
is, Nose of the Sack. This name suggests to the 
world that the nose of St. John must have been a 
very long nose, and may be looked upon as a 
unique specimen of French poetry. 

The scenery of the Saguenay is wild and romantic 
to an uncommon degree. The first half of its 
course averages half a mile in width, and runs 
through an untrodden wilderness of pine and spruce 
covered hills. It abounds in waterfalls and rapids, 
and is only navigable for the Indian canoe. A few 
miles below the most southern fall on the river the 
village of Chicoutimi is situated, where an exten- 
sive lumbering business is transacted, and the Hud- 
son's Bay Company have an important post. The 
village has an ancient appearance, and contains 
about five hundred inhabitants, chiefly Canadian 
French. The only curiosity in the place is a rude 
Catholic Church, which is said to have been built 
by Jesuit missionaries upwards of one hundred 
years ago. It occupies the centre of a grassy lawn, 
surrounded with shrubbery, backed by a cluster of 
wood-crowned hills, and commands a fine prospect, 



GRAND BAY. 175 

not only of the Saguenay, but also of a spacious 
bay, into which there empties a noble mountain 
stream, now known as Chicoutimi River. In the 
belfry of this venerable church hangs a clear-toned 
bell, with an inscription upon it which the learning 
of Canada (with all its learned and unnumbered 
priests) has not yet been able to translate or 
expound. But, great as is the mystery of this 
inscription, it is less mysterious to my mind than 
are the motives of the Romish Church in planting 
the cross in the remotest corners of the earth, as 
well as in the mightiest of cities. 

About ten miles south of Chicoutimi there re- 
cedes from the west bank of the Saguenay, to the 
distance of ten miles, a beautiful expanse of water 
called Grand Bay. The original name of this bay 
was "Ha, Ha," descriptive of the surprise which 
the French experienced when they first entered into 
it, supposing that it was the Saguenay, until their 
shallop grounded on the north-western shore. At 
the head thereof is another settlement, similar to 
Chicoutimi. Between these two places the Sague- 
nay is rather shallow, (when compared with the 
remainder of its course,) and varies in width from 
two and a half to three miles. The tides of the 
ocean are observable as far north as Chicoutimi, 



176 THE SAGUENAY. 

and this entire section of the river is navigable for 
ships of the largest class. 

That portion of the Saguenay extending from 
Grand Bay to the St. Lawrence, a distance of sixty 
miles, is greatly distinguished for its wild and 
picturesque scenery. I know not that I can better 
pourtray to my reader's mind the peculiarity of this 
river than by the following method : imagine for a 
moment an extensive country of rocky and thinly- 
clad mountains, suddenly separated by some con- 
vulsion of Nature so as to form an almost bottom le» 
chasm, varying from one to two miles in width ; 
and then imagine this chasm suddenly half-filled 
with water, and that the moss of centuries lias 
softened the rugged walls on either side, and you 
will have a pretty accurate idea of the Sague- 
nay. 

The shores of this river are composed principally 
of granite, and every bend presents you with an 
imposing bluff, the majority of which are eight 
hundred feet high, and many of them upwards 
of fifteen hundred. And, generally speaking, these 
towering bulwarks are not content to loom perpen- 
dicularly into the air, but they must needs bend 
over as if to look at their own savage features 
reflected in the dec]). Ay, and that word d 



THE SAGUENAY. 177 

tells but the simple truth ; for the flood that rolls 
beneath is black and cold as the bottomless pit. 
To speak without a figure, and from actual mea- 
surement, I can state that many portions of the 
Saguenay are one thousand feet deep, and the 
shallowest spots not much less than one hundred. 
In many places, too, the water is as deep as five feet 
from the rocky barriers as it is in the centre of 
the stream. The feelings which filled my breast, 
and the thoughts which oppressed my brain, as 
I paddled by these places in my canoe, were allied 
to those which almost overwhelmed me when I 
first looked upward from below the Fall, to the 
mighty flood of Niagara. Awful beyond expression, 
I can assure you, is the sensation which one 
experiences in sailing along the Saguenay, to raise 
his eyes heavenward and behold hanging directly 
over his head a mass of granite, apparently ready to 
totter and fall, and weighing perhaps a million 
tons. Terrible and sublime, beyond the imagery 
of the most daring poet, are these cliffs ; and, 
while they proclaim the omnipotent power of God, 
they at the same time whisper into the ear of man 
that he is but as the moth which flutters in the 
noontide air. And yet, is it not enough to fill 
the heart of man with holy pride and unbounded 
love, to remember that the soul within him will 

1 3 



178 A STORM. 

but have commenced its existence when all the 
mountains of the world shall have been consumed 
as a scroll ? 

It is to the Saguenay that I am indebted 
for one of the most imposing storm pictures that 
I ever witnessed. It had been a most oppressive 
day, and, as I was passing up the river at a late 
hour in the afternoon, a sudden gust of wind 
came rushing down the stream, causing my Indian 
companion to bow, as if in prayer, and then to 
urge our frail canoe towards a little rocky island, 
upon which we immediately landed. 

Soon as we had surmounted our refuge, the 
sky was overcast with a pall of blackness, which 
completely enveloped the cliffs on either side, and 
gave the roaring waters a death-like hue. Then 
broke forth from above our heads the heavy roar 
of thunder, and, as it gradually increased in 
compass and became more threatening and im- 
petuous, its volleys were answered by a thousand 
echoes, which seemed to have been startled from 
every crag in the wilderness, while Hashes of the 
most vivid lightning were constantly illuminating 
the gloomy storm-made cavern which appeared 
before us. Down upon his knees again fell my 
poor Indian comrade, and, while I sat by his side, 
trembling with terror, the thought actuallv flew 



PLEASING THOUGHTS. 179 

into my mind that I was on the point of passing 
into eternity. Soon, however, the wind ceased 
blowing, the thunder to roar, and the lightning to 
flash ; and in less than one hour after its com- 
mencement, the storm had subsided, and that por- 
tion of the Saguenay was glowing beneath the 
crimson rays of the setting sun. 

From what I have written, my reader may be 
impressed with the idea that this river is incapable 
of yielding pleasurable sensations. Sail along its 
shores on a pleasant day, when its cliffs are partly 
hidden in shadow, and covered with a gauze-like 
atmosphere, and they will fill your heart with 
images of beauty. Or, if you would enjoy a still 
greater variety, let your thoughts flow away upon 
the blue smoke which rises from an Indian en- 
campment, hidden in a dreamy-looking cove ; let 
your eye follow an eagle swooping along his airy 
pathway near the summit of the cliffs, or glance 
across the watery plain, and see the silver salmon 
leaping by hundreds into the air for their insect 
food. Here, too, you may always discover a number 
of seals, bobbing their heads out of water, as if 
watching your every movement; and, on the other 
hand, a drove of white porpoises, rolling their huge 
bodies along the waters, ever and anon spouting 



180 



GEMS OF SCENERY. 



a shower of liquid diamonds into the air. yes, 
manifold indeed, and beautiful beyond compare, 
are the charms of the Saguenay ! 

Although my description of this river has thus 
far been of a general character, I would not omit 
to mention, as perfect gems of scenery, Trinity 
Point, Eternity Cape, the Tableau, and la Tete 




JfiUlil - 



C APE I Rl MITY. 



du Boule. The peculiarities of these promontories 
are so well described by their very names, that 1 
shall refrain from attempting a particular descrip- 
tion of my own. 

The wilderness through which this river runs 
is of such a character that its shores can never 



Hudson's bay company. 181 

be greatly changed in their external appearance. 
Only a small proportion of its soil can ever be 
brought under cultivation ; and, as its forests are 
a good deal stunted, its lumbering resources are far 
from being inexhaustible. The wealth which it con- 
tains is probably of a mineral character ; and if the 
reports I hear are correct, it abounds in iron ore. 
That it would yield an abundance of fine marble, I 
am certain ; for in passing up this stream, the 
observing eye will frequently fall upon a broad vein 
of an article as pure as alabaster. 

How is it, many people are led to inquire, that 
so little has been known of the Saguenay country 
until recently? This question is easily solved. 
It is a portion of that vast territory which has 
heretofore been under the partial jurisdiction of 
the Hudson's Bay Company. I say partially, 
for the rights of that powerful monopoly, as I 
understand the matter, extended only to the pro- 
tection and use of its wild animals; but it has 
endeavoured to convince the would-be settler that it 
was the sole proprietor of the immense domain, and 
that he had no right to live thereon. Its posts 
on the Saguenay and St. Lawrence, so far as 
collecting furs is concerned, are a dead letter, and 
the journeys of its distinguished Governor are 
hereafter to be confined to the extreme, north. 



182 MR. PRICE. 

The man who deserves the most credit for en- 
croaching upon the so-called possessions of the 
Hudson's Bay Company, and proving to the world 
that its power is not without limit, is William 
Price, Esq., of Quebec. All the saw-mills situated 
on the Saguenay and the lower St. Lawrence, 
were established by him, and are now conducted 
at his expense. He gives employment to some 
two or three thousand men, and sends to England 
annually about one hundred ship-loads of lumber, 
in the shape of deals. He is a thorough-going 
business man, and, did I not know the fact to 
be otherwise, I should set him down (with regard 
to his enterprise) as a thorough native of the 
Union. Many of the ships alluded to ascend tin 
Saguenay to obtain lumber, as far as Chicoutiini ; 
and it struck me as singularly paradoxical t<> 
ships winding up that river, whose legitimate home 
would seem to be the broad ocean. The current 
of the Saguenay flows in some places at the rate 
of seven miles per hour; but when there is 
any wind at all, it blows heavily directly from 
the north or south, so that, with the assistance 
of the tide, the upward-bound ships or briu^. 
manage to get along without much difficulty. The 
only steam boat which navigates this river is the 
Pocahontas, and is the property of Mr. Price. 



THE MOUNTAINEERS. 183 

She is commanded by a gentleman who understands 
his business ; and I can assure the lovers of scenery 
everywhere, that a sail up the Saguenay, in this 
steamer, would be an event they could not easily 
forget. For the benefit of summer tourists, I would 
here mention the fact, that for about three months 
in the year a Quebec steamer makes an occasional 
trip to the mouth of the Saguenay, by the way 
of the river Du Loup, which is on the Canadian 
route to Halifax. 

In speaking of the Saguenay, I must not omit 
to mention its original proprietors, a tribe of 
Indians who are known as the Mountaineers. Of 
course, it is the duty of my pen to record the fact, 
that where once nourished a large nation of brave 
and heroic warriors, there now exists a little band 
of about one hundred families. Judging from what 
I have heard and seen, the Mountaineers were once 
the very flower of this northern wilderness, even 
as the Chippeways were once the glory of the 
Lake Superior region. The Mountaineers of the 
present day are sufficiently educated to speak a 
smattering of French, but they know nothing of 
the true God, and are as poor in spirit, as they 
are indigent with regard to the necessaries of life. 
The men of this nation are rather short, but well- 
formed, and the women are beautiful. They are 



184 TADOUSAC. 

proud in spirit, intelligent, and kind-hearted ; and 
many of them, it is pleasant to know, are no longer 
the victims of the baneful fire-water. For this 
blessing they are indebted to the Romish priest- 
hood, which fact it gives me pleasure to record. 
The Mountaineers are a particularly honest people, 
and great friends to the stranger white-man. They 
are also distinguished for their expertness in hunt- 
ing, and take pleasure in recording the exploits 
of their forefathers. And their language, according 
to a Catholic Missionary, Pierre de Roche, is one 
of the oldest and purest Indian languages on the 
continent. It abounds in Latin words, and is 
capable of being regularly constructed and trans- 
lated. The qualities, in fine, which make the 
history of this people interesting are manifold, and 
it is sad to think of the rapidity with which they 
are withering away, even as the leaves of a prema- 
ture autumn. 

But it is time that I should give you a brief 
description of Tadousac, where I have been spend- 
ing a few days, and whence I date my chapter. 
The meaning of that word is a French corruption 
of the Indian word Saguenay. It is situated directly 
at the mouth of the Saguenay, and commands a 
fine prospect of that river, as well as of the St. 
Lawrence, which is here nearly thirty miles in 



CURIOUS JESUIT RUIN. 185 

width. Immediately at the base of the hill upon 
which the hamlet stands, is a beautiful bay, hemmed 
in with mountains of solid rock. The place is 
composed of houses belonging to an Indian trading- 
post, and another dwelling occupied by a worthy 
Scotchman named Rivington, who is a pilot by 
profession. The door of my friend's cabin is always 
open to the admission of the tourist ; and if others 
who may chance to stop here are treated as kindly 
as I was, they will be disposed to thank their stars. 
In front of the trading-post are planted a few 
cannon, and directly beyond them, at the present 
time, is a small Indian encampment. 

In a rock-bound bay, about half a mile north 
of my temporary residence, is an extensive lumber- 
ing establishment, belonging to William Price. 
This spot is the principal port of the Saguenay, 
and the one where belongs the Pocahontas steam- 
boat. About a dozen paces from the table where 
I am now writing, is the ruin of a Jesuit religious 
establishment, which is considered the great curio- 
sity of this region. The appearance of the ruin 
is not imposing, as you can discover nothing but 
the foundations upon which the ancient edifice 
rested; but it is confidently affirmed, that upon 
this spot once stood the first stone and mortar 
building ever erected on the continent of North- 



186 CURIOUS JESUIT RUIN. 

America. And this statement I am not disposed 
to question, for, from the very centre of the ruin 
have grown a cluster of pine trees, which must 
have been exposed to the wintry blasts of at least 
two hundred years. The fate and the very names 
of those who first pitched their tents in this wilder- 
ness, and here erected an altar to the God of their 
fathers, are alike unknown. Who — who can tell 
what shall be on the morrow ? 



THE SALMON. 187 



CHAPTER XIV. 

The Salmon — Salmon Adventures. 

Tadousac. June. 
I intend to devote the present letter to the 
acknowledged king of all the finny tribes, the 
lithe, wild, and beautiful salmon. He pays an 
annual visit to all the tributaries of the St. Law- 
rence lying between Quebec and Bic Island, (where 
commences the Gulf of St. Lawrence), but he is 
most abundant on the north shore, and in those 
streams which are beyond the jurisdiction of civi- 
lization. He usually makes his first appearance 
about the twentieth of May, and continues in 
season for two months. Nearly all the streams 
of this region abound in waterfalls, but those are 
seldom found, which the salmon does not surmount 
in his " excelsior" pilgrimage ; and the stories 



188 INDIAN MODE OF 

related of his leaps are truly wonderful. It is not 
often that he is found man bound at the head 
of the streams he may have ascended; but when 
thus found and captured, his flesh is white, skin 
black, and his form " long, lank, and lean as 
the rebbid sea-sand." His weight is commonly 
about fifteen pounds, but he is sometimes taken 
weighing full forty pounds. The salmon is an 
important article of export from this region, and 
is also extensively used by the Indians. The 
common mode for taking them is with a stationary 
net, which is set just on the margin of the river 
at low water. It is customary with the salmon 
to ascend the St. Lawrence as near the shore u 
possible, and their running time is when the tide 
is high; the consequence is, that they enter the 
net at one tide, and are taken out at another ; 
and it is frequently the case, that upwards of 
three hundred arc taken at one time. The Indian 
mode for taking them is with the spear by torch- 
light. Two Indians generally enter a canoe, and 
while one paddles it noiselessly along, the other 
holds forth the light (which attracts the attention 
of the fish, and causes them to approach their 
enemy), and pierces them with the cruel spear. 
This mode of taking the salmon is to be depre- 
cated, but the savage must live, and possesses no 



SALMON FISHING. 189 

other means for catching them. It is but seldom 
that the Indian takes more than a dozen during 
a single night, for he cannot afford to waste the 
1)0 unties which he receives from Nature. For pre- 
serving the salmon, the Canadians have three 
modes : first, by putting them in salt for three 
days, and then smoking them ; secondly, by regu- 
arly salting them down as you would mackerel ; 
and, thirdly, by boiling, and then pickling them 
in vinegar. The Indians smoke them, but only 
to a limited extent. 

I must now give you some account of my expe- 
rience in the way of salmon-fishing with the fly, 
of which glorious sport I have recently had an 
abundance. If, however, I should give you a 
number of episodes, you will please to remember 
that " it is my way," and that I deem it a privilege 
of the angler to be as wayward in his discourse 
as are the channels of his favourite mountain 
streams. 

My first salmon expedition of the season was 
to the St. Margaret River. I had two companions 
with me ; one an accomplished fly-fisher of Quebec, 
and the other the principal man of Tadousac, a 
lumber merchant. We went in a gig-boat belong- 
ing to the latter, and, having started at nine 
o'clock, we reached our place of destination by 



190 EXCITING SPORT. 

twelve. We found the river uncommonly high, 
and a little rily. We made a desperate effort, 
however, and threw the line about three hours, 
capturing four salmon, only one of which was 
it my privilege to take. He was a handsome 
fellow, weighing seventeen pounds, and in good 
condition ; he afforded my companions a good 
deal of fun, and placed me in a peculiar situa- 
tion. He had taken the hook when I was wading 
in swift water up to my middle, and as soon as be 
discovered his predicament, he made a sudden 
wheel and started down the stream. My rod 
bent nearly double, and I saw that I must give 
him all the line he wanted; and having only three 
hundred feet on my reel, I found it necessary to 
follow him with all speed. In doing so I lost 
my footing, and was swept by the current against 
a pile of logs; meantime, my reel was in the 
water and whizzing away at a tremendous rate. 
The log upon which I depended, happened to be 
in a balancing condition, and, when I attempted 
to surmount it, it plunged into the current and 
floated down the stream, having your humble 
servant astride of one end, and clinging to it 
with all his might. Onward went the salmon, 
the log, and the fisherman. Finally, the log 
found its way into an eddy of the river, and, 



A BOLD CAPTURE. 191 

while it was swinging about as if' out of mere 
malice, I left it, and fortunately reached the 
shore. My life having been spared, I was more 
anxious than ever to take the life of the salmon 
which had caused the ducking, and so I held aloft 
my rod, and continued down the stream over an 
immense number of logs and rocks, which seemed 
to have been placed there for my especial annoy- 
ance. On coming in sight of my fish, I found 
him in still water, with his belly turned upward 
and completely drowned. I immediately drew 
him on a sand- bank near by, and, while engaged 
in the reasonable employment of drying my clothes, 
my brother fishermen came up to congratulate 
me upon my success, but laughing in the mean- 
time most heartily. The lumber merchant said, 
that the log I had been riding belonged to him, 
and it was his intention to charge me one shilling 
for my passage from the rift where I had hooked 
the salmon to the spot where I had landed him, 
which was in full view of the Saguenay ; and my 
Quebec friend remarked, that he knew the people 
of Yankee-land had a queer way of doing things, 
but he was not acquainted with their peculiar 
mode of taking salmon. As may be readily 
imagined, we retraced our steps back to the log 
shantee where we had stopped, and, having care- 



192 AN UNCEREMONIOUS PARTY. 

fully stowed away our salmon, we laid aside our 
fishing tackle, and made arrangements for a little 
sport of another kind. 

The hamlet of St. Margaret, where we spent the 
night, contains some eight or ten log sham 
which arc occupied by about twenty families, com- 
posed of Canadians, Indians, and half-breeds. They 
obtain their living by " driving" logs, and ar 
happy as they are ignorant. Anxious to see what 
we could of society among this people, we - 
forth a manifesto calling upon the citizens generally 
to attend a dance at the cabin of a certain man, 
whom we had engaged to give the party at our 
expense. Punctual to the appointed hour the 
assembly came together. Many of the men did 
not take the trouble even to wash their hands, 
or put on a coat before coming to the party ; but 
the women were neatly dressed, with blue and 
scarlet petticoats, over which were displayed night- 
gowns of white cotton. The fiddler was an Indian, 
and the dancing-hall (some twelve feet square) was 
lighted w T ith a wooden lamp, supplied with seal- 
oil. The dance was without any particular method, 
and when a gentleman wished to trip the light 
fantastic toe, he only had to station himself on 
the floor, when one of his friends would select 
his partner, and lead her up for his acceptance. 






FISHING IN THE ESQUEMAIN. 193 

The consequence was, that if a man wished to 
dance with any particular lady, he was obliged te 
make a previous arrangement with his leading-up 
friend. The fiddler not only furnished all the 
music, but also performed a goodly portion of the 
dancing — fiddling and dancing at the same time. 
The supper was laid on the table at ten o'clock, 
and consisted principally of dried beaver-tail and 
cariboo meat, fried and boiled salmon, (which was 
cooked out of doors near the entrance to the cabin), 
rye-bread, maple molasses, and tea. 

The party broke up at twelve o'clock ; when we 
retired to the cabin where we had secured lodgings, 
and it is an actual fact, that our sleeping-room on 
that night was occupied not only by ourselves, 
but by two women, one man, and four children, 
(divided into three beds), all members of the same 
family, with whom we had succeeded in obtaining 
accommodations. On the following morning we 
rose at an early hour, and again tried our luck 
at salmon-fishing, but only killed a few trout; 
whereupon we boarded our gig and started down 
the romantic Saguenay, telling stories and singing 
songs. 

Another river in this region which affords good 
salmon fishing is the Esquemain. It empties itself 
into the St. Lawrence about twenty miles east of the 

K 



194 SALMON FISHIXG 

Saguenay. It is a cold, clear, and rapid stream, 
abounding in rapids and deep pools. At its mouth 
is situated a saw-mill, but its water- works are so 
managed as not to interfere with the salmon. The 
fish of this stream ascend to a great distance, 
and, though rather small, arc exceedingly abundant. 

The best fishing in the river is at the foot of 
a waterfall, which forms a sheet of foam, about one 
mile above the mouth. My Quebec friend accom- 
panied me to this place, and, though wc only threw 
the fly about six hours (three in the evening and three 
in the morning), yet we killed thirteen salmon, 
without loosing a single line, and with the lo<s 
of only three flics. 

Owing to the bushy shores of the stream, we 
were compelled to fish standing upon boulders 
situated in its centre; and whenever we hooked 
a fish, there was no alternative but to plunge into 
the current and trust to fortune. For some un- 
accountable reason (of course it could not have 
been our fault), we lost more than half of those we 
hooked; but it was worth a moderate fortune to see 
the magnificent leaps which the fish performed, not 
only when they took the fly, but when they at- 
tempted to escape. There was not one individual 
that did not give us a race of at least half a mile. 
The largest taken during this expedition was killed 



IN THE ESQUEMAIN. 195 

by my companion, and caused more trouble than 
all his other prizes. Not only did this fellow 
attempt to clear himself by stemming the foam 
of a rapid, and rubbing his nose against a rock 
to break the hook, but he also swept himself 
completely round a large boulder, poked his head 
into a net, and ran with the speed of lightning 
to the extreme end of his line. It took my friend 
forty minutes to land this salmon ; and I can assure 
you that he was particularly pleased when he found 
that his fish weighed one pound more than the 
largest 1 had taken. The fact was, our rods were 
almost precisely alike in length and strength ; and, 
as two countries were represented in our persons, 
the strife between us was desperate. I will acknow- 
ledge that the Canada gentleman took the largest 
salmon ; but the States' angler took them in the 
greatest number. 

Notwithstanding all the fine sport that we en- 
joyed on the Esquemain, I am compelled to state 
that it was more than counterbalanced by the 
suffering that we endured from the black fly and 
musquito. The black fly is about half as large 
as the common house fly, and, though it bites 
you only in the day-time, they are as abundant in 
the air as the sand upon the sea- shore, and 
venomous to an uncommon degree. The musquito 

k 2 



196 MUSQUITOES. 

of this region is an uncommonly gaunt, long- 
legged, and hungry creature, and his howl is pecu- 
liarly horrible. 

We had been almost devoured by the black flies 
during the afternoon, and as soon as darkness came, 
we secured a couple of beds in a Frenchman's 
house, and as we tumbled in, congratulated our- 
selves upon a little comfortable repose. It was 
an exceedingly sultry night, and, though we were 
both in a complete fever from the fly-poison circu- 
lating in our veins, the heat excelled the fever, 
and our bodies were literally in a melting condition. 
We endeavoured to rind relief by lying on the 
bare floor, with no covering but a single sheet; and 
this arrangement might have answered, had it not 
been for the flood of musquitoes which poured into 
the room, as one of us happened to open a window 
to obtain fresh air. Every spot on our bodies, 
which the flies had left untouched, was immediately 
settled upon by these devils in miniature. They 
pierced the very sheets that covered us, and sucked 
away at our blood without any mercy. 

Unwilling to depart this life without one effort 
more to save it, we then dressed ourselves and 
sauntered into the open air. We made our way 
towards a pile of lumber near the saw-mill, and, 
without a particle of covering, endeavoured to 



A SLEEPLESS NIGHT. 197 

obtain a little sleep; but the insect bounds soon 
found us out, and we bolted for another place. 
Our course now lay towards the rude bridge which 
spans the Esqueniain, just above the mill. Our 
intentions at the time, though not uttered aloud, I 
verily believe were of a fearful character. On 
reaching the bridge, however, a refreshing breeze 
sprang up, and we enjoyed a brief respite from our 
savage enemies. 

We now congratulated each other on our good 
fortune, and had just resolved to be happy, when 
we discovered a number of Indians in the river 
spearing salmon by torch-light ; and as it was 
after midnight, and the heathen were spearing on 
our fishing- ground, we mournfully concluded that 
our morning sport was at an end. But, while in 
the very midst of this agreeable mood of mind, a 
lot of skylarking musquitoes discovered our retreat, 
and we were again besieged. We now endeavoured 
to find relief on board the boat which had brought 
us from the Saguenay, and here it was that we 
spent the two last hours of that most miserable 
night. 

Though not exactly in a fitting condition to 
throw the fiy with any degree of comfort, we made 
an effort after salmon in the morning, and suc- 
ceeded in killing a portion of the thirteen already 



198 PERILOUS SITUATION. 

mentioned. That we enjoyed the good breakfast 
which we had prepared for our especial benefit, and 
that we departed from Esquemain as soon as pos- 
sible, are facts which I consider self-evident. 

The mouth of the Saguenay, as I have before 
remarked, is completely hemmed in with barriers 
of solid rock ; and when the tide is flowing in, from 
one of these points, first-rate salmon fishing may 
occasionally be enjoyed. I have frequently had 
the pleasure of throwing the fly on the point in 
question, and on one occasion was so carried away 
with the sport that I took no notice of the rising 
tide. It was near the sunset hour, and on preparing 
for my departure home, I discovered that I was 
completely surrounded with water, and that my 
situation was momentarily becoming more dan- 
gerous. The water was bitter cold and turbulent, 
and the channel which separated me from the main 
shore was upwards of a hundred yards wide. I 
was more than half a mile from the nearest dwell- 
ing, and could not see a single sail on the Saguenay, 
or the still broader St. Lawrence, excepting a 
solitary ship, which was ten leagues away. My 
predicament, I assure you, was not to be envied. 
I could not entertain the idea that I should lose 
my life ; and, though I felt myself to be in danger, 
my sensations were supremely ridiculous. But 



FORTUNATE RESCUE. 199 

something, I was persuaded, must be done, and 
that immediately; and so I commenced throwing 
off my clothes for a final effort to save my life. 
I had stripped off every thing but shirt and pan- 
taloons, and to a flock of crows which were cawing 
above my head I must have presented an interesting 
picture. I thought of the famous swimming ad- 
ventures of Leander and Lord Byron, and also 
of the inconveniences of being drowned (as Charles 
Lamb did of being hanged) ; but just as I was 
about to make the important plunge, an Indian in 
his canoe came gliding around a neighbouring point, 
and 1 was rescued, together with one salmon and 
some dozen pounds of trout. 

But I have not finished my story yet. On the 
night following this incident, I retired to bed in 
rather a sober mood, for I could not banish the 
recollection of my narrow escape from a ducking, if 
not from a watery grave. The consequence was, 
that in my dreams I underwent ten times as much 
mental suffering as I had actually endured. I 
dreamed that in scaling the rocks which lead to 
the point alluded to, I lost my footing, and fell into 
the water. While in this condition, drinking more 
salt water than I wanted, floundering about like a 
sick porpoise, gasping for breath, and uttering a 
most doleful moan, I was suddenly awakened, and 



200 A LUNATIC. 

found my good landlord at my side, tapping me on 
the shoulder, for the purpose of summoning me — 
from the back of the nightmare I had been riding. 

As I may not have another opportunity of 
alluding to this portion of the Saguenay, and to the 
rocky point already alluded to, I must give my 
reader another and a remarkable incident connected 
with them. Some years ago, the Hudson's Bay 
Company had in its employ as clerk, at Tadousac, 
an intelligent and amiable young man, whose name 
was McCray. For some unaccountable reason he 
became deranged; and on one occasion, a cold and 
stormy winter night, he took it into his head to 
cross the Saguenay upon the floating ice, which was 
running at the time. When first discovered, he 
was about half-way across the stream, and making 
frightful leaps of ten and fifteen feet from one 
block of ice to another. His friends followed in 
close pursuit, with a boat, as soon as possible ; but 
on reaching the opposite shore, the unhappy man 
was not to be found. On the day following, 
however, some people who were hunting for him 
in the woods, discovered him perched in a tree, 
almost frozen to death, and senseless as a clod 
of the valley. He was taken home, the circu- 
lation of his blood restored, and he is now an 
inmate of the Quebec Lunatic Asylum. The mind 



STARTLING FEAT. 201 

of this worthy man was thought to be of a high 
order ; and it is certain that he possessed an exten- 
sive knowledge of botany and geology. From 
remarks that escaped him subsequently to the 
wonderful feat he performed, it is supposed that, at 
the time of starting across the river, he was think- 
ing of a particular book which he wished to obtain, 
and had been told could be purchased in Quebec, 
towards which place (unattainable by land) he had 
set out. It is worthy of record, that poor McCray 
is the only man who ever crossed the deep and 
angry Saguenay on the ice, as it is never solidly 
frozen ; and it is almost certain, that the feat he 
performed, can never be again repeated. 

But to return to my piscatorial remarks. Next 
to the salmon, the finest sporting fish of this region 
is the trout. Of these I have seen two species, the 
salmon and the common trout. Of the former I 
believe there is but one variety ; but that is an 
exceedingly fine fish for sport or the table, and is 
found in the lower tributaries of the St. Lawrence, 
from five to fifteen pounds. They are taken chiefly 
in the salt water, and possess a flavour which the 
trout of our Western lakes do not. Of the common 
trout, I have seen at least six varieties, differing, 
however, only in colour ; for some are almost 
entirely white, others brown, some blue, some 

k 3 



202 ABUNDANCE OF TROUT. 

green, some black, and others yellow. These are 
taken everywhere in the St. Lawrence, and in all its 
tributaries. Those of the Saguenay are the largest, 
most abundant, and of the rarest quality. Upon 
the whole, I am inclined to set this river down 
as affording the finest trout-fishing that I have ever 
enjoyed, not even excepting that which I have 
experienced at the Falls of St. Mary, in Michigan. 
Almost every bay or cove in the Saguenay is 
crowded with trout ; and, generally speaking, the 
rocks upon which you have to stand afford an abun- 
dance of room to swing and drop the fly. In some 
of the coves alluded to, I have frequently taken a 
dozen two-pound trout during the single hour 
before sunset. 

Trout fishing, in this region, possesses a charm 
which the angler seldom experiences in the rivers 
and lakes of the United States, which consists in 
his uncertainty as to the character of his prize 
before he has landed him ; for it may be a common 
or salmon trout, or a regular built salmon, as these 
fish all swim in the same water. It is reported of 
a celebrated angler of Quebec, that he once spent a 
week on the Esquemain, and captured within that 
time seventy salmon, and upwards of a hundred 
trout. This is a very strange story, but I have faith 
enough to believe it true. 



ABUNDANCE OF FISH. 203 

And now for a few remarks upon the fish of the 
St. Lawrence generally. Cod are taken to a very 
great extent, and constitute an important article of 
commerce. Herring and mackerel are abundant, 
also the hallibut and sardine. Shad are also taken, 
but not in sufficient quantities to export. The 
lobster, flounder, and oyster are also found in this 
river ; and, with a few unimportant exceptions, these 
are the only fish that flourish in this portion of the 
great river. The sea-bass, the striped-bass, the 
blue-fish, and the black-fish, for which I should 
suppose these waters perfectly adapted, are entirely 
unknown. 



204 SEAL-HUNTING. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Seal-hunting on the St. Lawrence — The white Porpoise. 

Tadousac. July. 

Before breakfast, this morning, I bad the plea- 
stupe of taking fifteen common trout, and the 
remainder of the day I devoted to seal-hunting. 
This animal is found in great abundance in the 
St. Lawrence, and by the Indians and a few white 
people is extensively hunted. There arc several 
varieties found in these waters ; and the usual 
market price for the oil and skin, is five dollars. 
They vary in size from four to eight feet, and arc 
said to be good eating. Many people make them a 
principal article of food ; and while the Indians use 
their skins for many purposes, they also light their 
cabins with the oil. In sailing on the river, they 
meet you at eveiy turn ; and when I first saw one, 
I thought that I was looking upon a drowning 



SEAL-HUNTING. 



205 



man ; for they only raise their heads out of the 
water, and thus sustain themselves with their feet, 
fins, pads, flippers, or whatever you may call them. 
They live upon fish, and in many of their habits 
closely resemble the otter. Their paws have five 
claws, joined together with a thick skin ; they 
somewhat resemble the dog, and have a bearded 
snout, like a cat, large bright eyes, and long sharp 
teeth. They are a noisy animal, and when a num- 
ber of them are sunning themselves upon the sand, 
the screams they utter are doleful in the extreme, 
somewhat resembling the cry of children, 

My first seal expedition was performed in com- 
pany with two professional hunters. We started 
from shore with a yawl and a canoe, and made our 
course for a certain spot in the St. Lawrence, where 
the waters of the Saguenay and the flood tide came 
together, and caused a terrible commotion. The 
canoe led the way, occupied by one man, who was 
supplied with a harpoon and a long line ; while 
the other hunter and myself came up in the rear, 
for the purpose of rescuing the harpooner in case 
an accident should happen, and also for the purpose 
of shipping the plunder. The seal seems to delight 
in frequenting the deepest water and more turbu- 
lent whirlpools ; and the object of using a canoe, is 
to steal upon him in the most successful manner. 



206 SEAL-HUNTING. 

We had not floated about the eddy more than 
twenty minutes, before a large black animal made 
his appearance, about ten feet from the canoe ; 
but, just as he was on the point of diving, the 
hunter threw his harpoon, and gave him the line, to 
which was attached a buoy. The poor creature 
floundered about at a great rate, dived as far as 
he could towards the bottom, and then leaped 
entirely out of the water ; but the cruel spear 
would not loosen its hold. Finally, after making 
every effort to escape, and tinging the surrounding 
water with a crimson hue, he gasped for breath a 
few times, and sunk to the end of the rope, quite 
dead. We then pulled him to the side of the boat, 
and with a gaff-hook secured him therein, and the 
hunt was renewed. In this manner did my com- 
panions capture no less than three seals, before the 
hour of noon. 

On one occasion, I noticed a large number of 
seals, sunning themselves upon a certain sandy 
point ; and as I felt an " itching palm" to obtain, 
with my own hands, the material for a winter cap, I 
spent the afternoon in the enjoyment of a " shooting 
frolic, all alone." I borrowed a rifle of one of my 
friends, and having passed over to the sandy point 
in a canoe, I secreted myself in the midst of some 
rocks, and awaited the game. I had not remained 



EXCITING SPORT. 207 

quiet but a short time before a huge black seal 
made his appearance, scrambling up the beach, 
where he kept a sharp look-out for anything that 
might do him harm. I admired the apparent intel- 
ligence of the creature, as he dragged his clumsy 
and legless body along the ground, and almost 
regretted that it was doomed to die. True to my 
ridiculous nature, however, I finally determined to 
leave him unmolested for the present, hoping that 
he would soon be accompanied by one of his fellow 
seals, and that I should have a chance of killing a 
pan. I was not disappointed ; and you will, there- 
fore, please to consider me in full view of one of the 
finest marks imaginable, and in the attitude of 
firing. Crack went the rifle ; but my shot only had 
the effect of temporarily rousing the animals ; and I 
proceeded to reload my gun, wondering at the cause 
of my missing, and feeling somewhat dissatisfied 
with matters and things in general. Again was it 
my privilege to fire, and I saw a stick fly into the 
air, about thirty feet to the left of my game. The 
animals were, of course, not at all injured, but just 
enough frightened to turn their faces towards the 
water, into which they shortly plunged, and entirely 
disappeared. I returned to my lodgings, honestly 
told my story, and was laughed at for my pains and 



208 A TRUE STORY. 

bad luck. It so happened, however, that the owner 
of the gun imagined that something might be the 
matter with the thing; and on examining it, he 
found that one of the sights had been accidentally 
knocked from its original position, which circum- 
stance had been the " cause of my anguish ;" and, 
though it restored to me my good name as a marks- 
man, it afforded me but little satisfaction. 

But, that my chapter about seals may be worth 
sealing, I will give you the history of an incident, 
which illustrates the sagacity of an Indian in killing 
his game. A Mik-mak hunter, with his family, 
had reached the shore of the St. Lawrence, hungry 
and short of ammunition. On a large sand-bank 
which lay before him, at a time when the tide \\ u 
low, he discovered an immense number of s< 
He waited for the tide to flow and again to ebb, and 
as soon as the sand appeared above the water, he has- 
tened to the dry point, in his canoe, carrying only a 
hatchet as a weapon. On this spot he immediately 
dug a hole, into which he crept, and covered him- 
self with a blanket. He then commenced uttering 
a cry, in imitation of the seal, and in a short time 
had collected about him a very large number of 
those animals. He waited patiently for the tide to 
retire so far that the animals would have to travel 



THE WHITE PORPOISE. 209 

at least a mile by land before reaching the water ; 
and, when the wished-for moment arrived, he sud- 
denly fell upon the affrighted multitude, and with 
his tomahawk, succeeded in slaughtering upwards of 
one hundred. To many this may appear to be an 
improbable story ; but when it is remembered that 
this amphibious animal is an exceedingly slow land 
traveller, it will be readily believed. The manner 
in which our hunter managed to save his game, was 
to tie them together with bark, and when the tide 
rose, tow them to the main shore. 

Since I have brought my reader upon the waters 
of the St. Lawrence, I will not permit him to go 
ashore until I have given him an account of another 
inhabitant of the deep which is found in very great 
abundance, not only in this river, but also in the 
Saguenay. I allude to the white porpoise. The 
shape of this creature is similar to that of the whale, 
though of a pure white colour, and usually only 
about fifteen feet in length. They are exceedingly 
fat, and yield an oil of the best quality ; while the 
skin is capable of being turned into durable leather. 
They are extensively used as an article of food : the 
fins and tail when pickled are considered a delicacy ; 
and their value is about twenty-five dollars a piece. 
They are far from being a shy fish; and, when 



210 MODE OF TAKING THE PORPOISE. 

sailing about your vessel in large numbers, as is 
often the case, they present a beautiful and unique 
appearance. 

For taking this fish the people of this region 
have two methods. The first is to use a boat with 
a white bottom, behind which the fisherman tows a 
small wooden porpoise, which is painted a dark 
slate-colour, in imitation of the young of the 
species. With these lures the porpoise is often 
brought into the immediate vicinity of the harpoon, 
which is invariably thrown with fatal precision. 
In this manner an expert man will often take three 
or four fine prizes in a day. 

Another mode for taking these creatures is by 
fencing them in. It appears that it is customary 
for this fish to wander over the sand-bars, at high- 
water, for the purpose of feeding. Profiting by 
this knowledge, the fishermen enclose one of the 
sandy reefs with poles set about three feet apart, 
and sometimes covering a square mile. They leave 
an appropriate opening for the porpoises, which are 
sure to enter at high-water, and, owing to their 
timidity, they are kept confined by the slender 
barrier until the tide ebbs, when they are destroyed 
in great numbers with very little trouble. It is 
reported that a party of fishermen, some ninety 



SINGULAR STORY. 211 

miles above the Saguenay, once took one hundred 
and forty porpoises at one tide; and it is also 
asserted, that in dividing the spoil the fishermen 
had a very bitter quarrel — since which time, as the 
story goes, not a single porpoise has ever been 
taken on the shoal in question. 



212 THE ESQUIMAUX. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

The Esquimaux Indians of Labrador. 

Tadousac. July. 

The vast region of country lying on the north 
shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and extending to 
the eastward of the Saguenay as far as Newfound- 
land, is generally known under the name of Labra- 
dor. It is an exceedingly wild and desolate region, 
and, excepting an occasional fishing hamlet or a 
missionary station belonging to the worthy Mora- 
vians, its only inhabitants are Indians. Of these 
the more famous tribes are the Red Indians, (now 
almost extinct,) the Hunting Indians, the Mik- 
maks, and the Esquimaux. The latter nation is by 
far the most numerous, and it is said that their 
sway extends even to the coasts of Hudson's Bay. 
They are, at the same time, the wildest and most 



213 

rude inhabitants of this wilderness, and in appear- 
ance, as well as manners and customs, closely 
resemble the inhabitants of Greenland. 

During one of my nautical expeditions down the 
St. Lawrence, I chanced to be wind-bound for a 
couple of days at the mouth of a river on the 
north shore, where I found a small encampment 
of Esquimaux Indians. The principal man of the 
party was exceedingly aged, and the only one who 
could convey his thoughts in any other language 
than his own. He had mingled much with the 
French fur-traders of the north, and the French 
fishermen of the east, and possessed a smattering of 
their tongue. Seated by the side of this good old 
man in his lodge, with a moose-skin for my seat, 
a pack of miscellaneous furs to lean against, and a 
rude seal-oil torch suspended over my head, I spent 
many hours of one long-to-be-remembered night in 
questioning him about his people. The substance 
of the information I then collected it is now my 
purpose to record; — but it should be remembered 
that I speak of the nation at large, and not of any 
particular tribe. 

According to my informant, the extent of the 
Esquimaux nation is unknown, for they consider 
themselves as numerous as the waves of the sea. 
Much has been done to give them an education, 



214 SUPERSTITIOUS IDEAS OF 

and, though missionaries of the Cross have dwelt 
among them for about a century, yet the majority 
of this people are at the present time in heathen 
darkness. The men are chiefly employed in hunt- 
ins and fishing, and the domestic labour is all per- 
formed by the women. Their clothes arc made in 
the rudest manner imaginable, and generally of the 
coarser skins which they secure in hunting. They 
believe in a Supreme Being, who has a dwelling- 
place in the earth, the air, and the ocean, and who 
is both good and evil ; and they also believe in the 
immortality of the soul, which they describe aa 
similar to air, which they cannot feel. Their princi- 
pal men are magicians and conjurors, distinguished, 
as I infer with good reason, for their profligacy. 
Whenever a man is sick, they attribute the cause to 
the alleged fact that his soul has departed from his 
body, and he is looked upon with contempt and 
pity. The first man who came into the world 
sprang from the bosom of a beautiful valley; in 
this valley he spent his infancy and childhood, 
feeding upon berries; and having on a certain 
occasion picked up a flower which drooped over 
one of his accustomed paths, it immediately became 
changed into a girl with flowing hair, who became 
his playmate, and afterwards his wife, and was the 
mother of all living. They believe in a heaven and 



THE ESQUIMAUX. 215 

a hell, and consider that the road to the former is 
rugged and rocky, and that to the latter level and 
covered with grass. Their ideas of astronomy are 
peculiar, for they consider the sun, moon, and stars 
as so many of their ancestors, who have, for a great 
variety of reasons, been lifted to the sky and become 
celestial bodies. In accounting for the two former, 
they relate that there was once a superb festival 
given by the Esquimaux in a glorious snow-palace 
of the north, where were assembled all the young 
men and maidens of the land. Among them was 
a remarkably brave youth, who was in love with an 
exceedingly beautiful girl. She, however, did not 
reciprocate this attachment, and endeavoured by all 
the means in her power to escape from his caresses. 
To accomplish this end, she called upon the Great 
Spirit to give her a pair of wings; and, having 
received them, she flew into the air and became the 
moon. The youth also endeavoured to obtain a 
pair of wings, and, after many months, finally 
succeeded ; and, on ascending to the sky, he became 
the sun. The moon, they say, has a dwelling- 
place in the west, and the sun another in the far 
east. They account for thunder and lightning by 
giving the story of two women who lived together 
in a wigwam, and on one occasion had a most 
furious battle. During the affray the cabin tumbled 



216 Fi;\ERA.L CEREMONIES. 

in upon them, causing a tremendous noise, while 
the women were so angry that their eyes flashed 
fire, llain, they say, comes from a river in the sky, 
which, from the great number of people who some- 
times bathe in it, overflows its banks, and thus 
comes to the earth in showers. 

When one of their friends has departed this life, 
they take all his property and scatter it upon the 
ground, outside of his cabin, to be purified by the 
air ; but then in the evening they collect it 
together, and bury it by the side of his grave. 
They think it wrong for the men to mourn for 
their friends, and consider themselves defiled if they 
happen to touch the body of the deceased ; and the 
individual who usually perforins the office of under- 
taker is considered unclean for many days after 
fulfilling his duty. The women do all the wailing 
and weeping ; and during their mourning season, 
which corresponds with the fame of the deceased, 
they abstain from food, wear their hair in great 
disorder, and refrain from every ablution. When 
a friendless man dies, his body is left upon the hills 
to decay, as if he had been a beast. When their 
children die, they bury the body of a dead dog in the 
same grave, that the child may have a guide in his 
pathway to an unknown land, to which they sup- 
pose all children go. 






ESQUIMAUX CUSTOMS. 217 

Polygamy, as such, among the Esquimaux is 
practised only to a limited extent; but married 
men and women are not over- scrupulous in their 
love affairs. Unmarried women, however, observe 
the rules of modesty with peculiar care ; and the 
maiden who suffers herself to be betrayed is looked 
upon with infamy. When a young man wishes to 
marry, he first settles the matter with his intended, 
and then, having asked and obtained her father's 
permission, he sends two old women to bring the 
lady to his lodge, and they are considered one. 
The Esquimaux mother is fond of her children, and 
never chastises them for any offence. Children are 
taught to be dutiful to their parents, and until 
they marry they always continue under the paternal 
roof. 

The amusements of the Esquimaux do not differ 
materially from those of the Indian tribes generally. 
They are fond of dancing, playing ball, and a 
species of dice game ; while the women know of no 
recreation but that of dancing and singing. 

And thus ends my mite of information respect- 
ing one of the most extensive aboriginal nations of 
the far north. 



218 THE HABITANS OF CANADA. 






CHAPTER XVII. 

The Habitans of Canada. 

River du Loup. July. 

Since my last chapter, written on the banks of the 
Saguenay, I have completed my pilgrimage through 
Lower Canada, but before leaving the province, 
I will give you the result of my observations 
respecting some of its people. These are divided 
into three classes — the descendants of the French 
colonists, (commonly called " Habitans/') the Bri- 
tish settlers, and the Indian tribes. 

The Habitans, of whom I am now to speak, 
are the most numerous, and so peculiar in then- 
appearance and manners as to attract the particular 
attention of travellers. The men are usually tall 
and slender, of sinewy build, and with a dark brown 
complexion; the girls are black-eyed, and disposed 



THEIR DRESS AND OCCUPATION. 219 

to be beautiful ; while the women are always 
dumpy, but good-looking. Their dress is similar 
to tbat of the French peasantry; the men wear 
the old-fashioned capote on their heads, every 
variety of fantastic caps and hats, and on their feet 
a moccassin made of cow-hide ; the women wear 
jackets or mantelets, which are made of bright 
colours, and on their heads either a cap or a 
straw hat, made in the gipsey fashion. Occa- 
sionally they make an effort to imitate the English 
in their dress, and at such times invariably appear 
ridiculous. 

As a class, they are devoted principally to agri- 
culture ; but as their opportunities for obtaining 
instruction are exceedingly limited, their knowledge 
of the art of husbandry is precisely what it was 
one hundred years ago. They seem to be entirely 
destitute of enterprise,, and tread in the beaten 
steps of their fathers. They who live in the 
vicinity of Montreal and Quebec, generally supply 
those markets with vegetables; but those who 
reside in the more obscure parts, seem to be quite 
satisfied if they can only manage to raise enough 
off of their farms for the purpose of carrying them 
through the year. They are partial to rye bread, 
and never consider it in a cooking condition until it 
has been soured by age ; and their standard dish, 

l2 



220 PICTURESQUE DWELLINGS. 

which they make use of on all occasions, is a 
plain pea-soup. The consequence is, that the pea 
is extensively cultivated. 

You seldom find a farmer who is so poor as 
not to be able to sell from five to fifty bushels 
of wheat, and this article he appropriates to the 
same uses that most people do their money. Their 
plough is distinguished for its rudeness, and their 
fanning implements generally would not be cre- 
ditable even to a barbarous people. If an indi- 
vidual happens to have a story field, the idea 
does not enter his head that he might build a 
fence with those very stones, and the consequence 
is ; that he piles them in one immense heap in 
the centre of the field, and draws his rails a 
distance of perhaps two miles. But with all their 
ignorance of agriculture, the Habitans are suffi- 
ciently careful to make their little farms yield 
them all the necessaries they require, particularly 
their clothing and shoes, their candles, soap, and 
sugar. 

There are but few professional mechanics among 
them, and the dwelling of the peasant is almost 
invariably the production of his owtl individual 
labour. Their houses are distinguished for pictorial 
beauty, always one story high, and generally neatly 
whitewashed. Their cattle are small, and, owing 



CANADIAN EQUIPAGE. 221 

to their neglect in feeding and protecting them, 
are exceedingly poor. Their horses are nothing 
but ponies, but distinguished for their toughness. 
The Habitans are partial to the luxury of riding, 
and their common vehicle is a rough two-wheeled 
cart, and occasionally a calash. 

The turn-out which I employed for travelling 
in the settled parts of Canada was a fair spe- 
cimen of the class : the cost of the horse (four 
feet and a half high) was twenty dollars, and 
the cart (made entirely of wood) was four dollars. 
My coachman was a Habitan, and, in driving 
over a hilly road on a certain day, I had a fine 
opportunity of studying the conflicting traits of 
character which distinguish the race. 

Whenever he wanted his horse to go fast, he 
pulled the reins with all his might, and continued 
to utter a succession of horrible yells. He in- 
variably ran his animal up the hills, and deliberately 
walked him down. When angry at his unoffending 
beast, he showered upon his head a variety of 
oaths, which might be translated as follows : " in- 
fernal hog!" " black toad!" and "hellish dog!" 
and yet, when the animal was about to drop to 
the ground from fatigue and heat, he would caress 
him, and do every thing in his power to restore 
the animal and ease his own conscience. 



222 TRAIT OF MATRIMONIAL AFFECTION. 

I first employed this man to bring me to this 
place, and said nothing about continuing my 
journey. On ascertaining, however, that I was 
bound further down the St. Lawrence, he volun- 
teered his services, and I employed him, although 
he had informed his wife that he would positive] y 
return on the night of the day he left her. I 
retained him in my employ for two days, and was 
particularly struck with the anxiety he manifested 
concerning the disappointment of his wife. He 
alluded to the impropriety of his conduct at least a 
dozen times, and usually added : " But you give me 
plenty of money, (it was only six dollars for taking mr 
forty miles,) and I will buy something pretty for my 
wife, which will make her very glad — I guess she 
won't be sorry." I asked him what it was that 
he intended to purchase, and his answer was, " some 
riband, a pair of scissors, with some needles, and a 
calico dress." Who can deny that it is not pleasant 
to study the sunshine of the human heart, " by 
which we live ?" 

The Habitans profess the Roman Catholic re- 
ligion with much zeal. Among them I believe 
may be found many worthy Christians; but they 
manifest their religious devotion in many peculiar 
ways. They are fond of social intercourse, and 
spend a great portion of their time in visiting 



GENERAL DEPORTMENT. 223 

each other. They reluctantly establish themselves 
beyond the sound of a chapel bell, and I positively 
believe that they spend more than half of their 
time in performing mass and in horse-racing. 

The Sabbath is their great holiday, and always 
decidedly the noisiest day of the week. Their 
general deportment, however, is inoffensive, and 
often highly praiseworthy. They are seldom guilty 
of committing atrocious crimes, and do not often 
engage in personal conflicts, which are so prevalent 
in the United States. They treat all men with 
kindness, and in their language and manners are 
remarkably polite. The little girl, playing with 
her doll in her father's door, would think her 
conduct highly improper should she omit to drop 
you a courtesy as you passed along; and even 
the rude boy, when playing ball or driving his 
team, invariably takes off his hat to salute the 
traveller. 

The Habitans are particularly fond of the river 
St. Lawrence, and their settlements extend from 
Montreal about two hundred miles with the river 
on the north shore, and perhaps three hundred 
and fifty miles on the southern shore. Their 
principal roads run parallel with the river, are about 
half a mile apart, and generally completely lined 
with rural dwellings. 



224 POLITICAL OPINIONS. 

The political opinions of the Habitans are ex- 
tremely liberal, and not much in accordance with 
the spirit of Canadian institutions. They hate 
England by nature and the advice of their priest- 
hood, and scruple not to declare themselves actually 
in love with what they call the American Govern- 
ment. They complain that Englishmen treat them 
as if they were slaves, while the people of the 
United States always hail them as brothers. They 
are an unlettered race, but believe that their 
condition would be much happier were they the 
subjects of a President instead of a Queen. That 
is a matter I consider questionable. 



VILLAGE OF DU LOUP. 225 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

The Grand Portage into New Brunswick — Lake Timiscouta — The 
Madawaska River. 

On the Madawaska. July. 

The traveller, who would go from Quebec to 
Halifax by the recently established Government 
route, will have to take a steamer for one hundred 
and twenty miles down the great river, and cross the 
Grand Portage road which commences at River Du 
Loup, and extends to Lake Timiscouta, a distance of 
thirty-six miles. 

With the village of Du Loup I was well pleased. 
It contains about twelve hundred inhabitants, and 
a more general mixture of English, Scotch, and 
French than is usually found in the smaller towns of 
Canada. The place contains an Episcopal Church, 
which must be looked upon as a curiosity in this 
Roman Catholic country, for it is the only one, I 
believe, found eastward of Quebec. The situation 

l 3 



226 



DU LOUP. 



of the village is romantic to an uncommon degree. 
It commands an extensive prospect of the St. 
Lawrence, which is here upwards of twenty miles 
wide, and bounded on the opposite shore by a 
multitude of ragged mountains. The river is studded 
with islands, and ships are constantly passing hither 
and thither over the broad expanse, and when, 
from their great distance, all these objects are 
constantly enveloped in a gauze-like atmosphere, 
there is a magic influence in the scenery. The 
principal attraction is a waterfall, about a mile in 
the rear of the village. At this point, the waters 
of the rapid and beautiful Du Loup dance joyously 
over a rocky bed, until they reach a picturesque 
precipice of perhaps eighty or a hundred feet, over 
which they dash in a sheet of foam, and, after 
forming an extensive and shadowy pool, glide 
onward through a pleasant meadow, until they 
mingle with the waters of the St Lawrence. 

But as I intend to take you over the Grand 
Portage, it is time that we should be off. The first 
ten miles of this road are dotted with the box- 
looking houses of the Canadian peasantry ; but the 
rest of the route leads you up mountains and down 
valleys, which are all as wild and desolate as when 
first created. The principal trees of the forest are 
pine, spruce and hemlock, and the foundation of 



THE GRAND PORTAGE. 227 

the country seems to be granite. This region is 
watered by many sparkling streams, which contain 
trout in great abundance. The only curiosity on 
the road is of a geological character, and struck me 
as something remarkable. Crossing the road, and 
running in a northerly direction, and extending 
to the width of about two miles, is a singular bed 
of granite boulders. The rocks are of every size 
and form, and while from a portion of them rises a 
scanty vegetation, other portions are destitute of 
even the common moss. In looking upon this 
region, the idea struck me that I was passing 
through the bed of what was once a mighty river, 
but whose fountains had become for ever dry. This 
is only one, however, of the unnumbered wonders of 
the world, which are constantly appearing to puzzle 
the philosophy of man. 

In passing over the Grand Portage, the traveller 
has to resort to a conveyance which presents a 
striking contrast with the usual national works of 
her Ladyship, the Queen. It is the same establish- 
ment which conveys the Royal Mail from Quebec 
to Halifax, and consists of a common Canadian 
cart, a miserable Canadian pony, and a yet more 
miserable Canadian driver. Such is "the way 
they order things in Canada," which, I fancy, is 
not exactly the way they do in France. The Grand 



228 LAKE TIMISCOUTA. 

Portage Road itself is all that one could desire, 
and as there is a good deal of summer and winter 
travelling upon it, it is surprising that the Govern- 
ment cannot afford a more comfortable convey- 
ance. 

The eastern termination of the Grand Portage 
road, is at Lake Timiscouta, where is situated a 
pleasant hamlet of Canadians, and a picketed fort, 
which is now abandoned. The views from this spot 
are unique and exceedingly beautiful, particularly a 
western view of the lake, when glowing beneath the 
rays of the setting sun. The Indian word, Timis- 
couta, signifies the winding water, and accurately 
describes the lake, which has a serpentine course, 
twenty-four miles long, and from two to three wide. 
Excepting the cluster of houses already mentioned, 
there is not a single cabin on the whole lake ; and 
the surrounding mountains, which are, perhaps, a 
thousand feet high, are the home of solitude and 
silence. The only vessels which navigate this lake 
are Indian canoes, paddled by Canadians. Not 
only does the isolated settler depend upon them for 
the transportation of his provisions, but even the 
English nobleman, when travelling in this region, 
finds it necessary to sit like a tailor in their straw- 
covered bottoms. 

The onlv outlet to Lake Timiscouta, is the Mada- 



THE RIVER MADAWASKA. 229 

waska River, which is but a contraction of the same 
water, but reduced to the width of a stone's throw, 
and leading to the St. John's, a distance of some 
forty miles. The meaning of Madawaska, as I am 
informed, is, never frozen ; and the river obtained 
this name from the fact that certain portions, on 
account of the current, are never ice-bound. The 
scenery of the river is precisely similar to that of 
its parent lake, only that it is occasionally a little 
cultivated. The waters of both are clear, but not 
very deep or cold. They abound with fish, of 
which the common trout, the perch, and pickerel 
(not pike), are the more valuable varieties. 

The manner in which I sailed through Timis- 
couta and Madawaska, was exceedingly pleasant, if 
not peculiar and ridiculous. My canoe was manned 
by a couple of barbarous Canadians ; and while they 
occupied the extreme stern and bow, I was allowed 
the " largest liberty" in the body thereof. It was 
an exceedingly hot day when I passed through ; 
and having stripped myself of nearly all my 
clothing, I rolled about at my own sweet will, not 
only for the purpose of keeping cool, but that I 
might do a good business in the way of killing time. 
At one moment I was dipping my feet and hands in 
the water, " humming a lightsome tune of yore," 



230 AN INCIDENT 

and anon sketching the portrait of a mountain or a 
group of trees. Now I lay flat upon my back ; and 
while I watched the fantastic movements of the 
clouds, as they crossed the blue of heaven, I 
attended to the comforts of the inner man, by 
sucking maple sugar. Now I called upon the boat- 
men to sing me a song : and while they complied 
with my request, I fixed myself in the poetical 
attitude of a Turk, and smoked a cigar. At one 
time we halted at a mountain spring, to obtain a 
refreshing drink; and at another, the men pulled 
up to some rocky point, that I might have the 
pleasure of throwing the fly. Thus "pleasantly the 
days of Thai aba went by." 

My voyage down the Madawaska was not without 
a characteristic incident. There was a fleet of 
canoes descending at the same time ; some of them 
laden with women and babies, and some with furs, 
tin kettles, and the knapsacks of home-bound lum- 
bermen. Two of the canoes were managed by a 
Canadian and a Scotchman, who seemed to cherish a 
deep-rooted passion for racing. They paddled a 
number of heats; and as they were alternately 
beaten, they both finally became angry, and began 
to bet extravagantly. The conclusion of the whole 
matter was, that they went ashore on a bushy 



ON THE MADAWASKA. 231 

point, among the mountains, and settled their diffi- 
culty by a " private fight." They fought like brave 
men, ' ' long and well ;" and by the time one had a 
tooth knocked out of his head, and the other had 
nearly lost an eye, they separated, and quietly 
resumed their way. These were the only wild 
animals that I saw in the Madawaska wilderness. 



232 THE ACADIANS. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



The Acadians. 



Month of the Madawaska. July. 

At the junction of the rivers Madawaska and 
St. John, and extending for some miles down the 
latter, is a settlement of about three hundred 
Acadians. How these people came by the name 
they bear, I do not exactly understand ; but of their 
history I remember the following particulars. In 
the year 1755, during the existence of the Colonial 
difficulties between England and France, there 
existed, in a remote section of Nova Scotia, about 
fifteen thousand Acadians. Aristocratic French 
blood flowed in their veins, and they were a peaceful 
and industrious race of husbandmen. Even after 
the Government of England had become established 
in Canada, they cherished a secret attachment for 



THE ACAD1ANS. 233 

the laws of their native country. But this was 
only a feeling ; and they continued in the peaceful 
cultivation of their lands. In process of time, how- 
ever, three titled Englishmen, named Lawrence, 
Boscawen, and Mostyn, held a council, and formed 
the hard-hearted determination of driving this people 
from their homes, and scattering them to the four 
quarters of the globe. Playing the part of friends, 
this brotherhood of conquerors and heroes sent word 
to the Acadians, that they must all meet at a certain 
place on business which deeply concerned their 
welfare. 

Not dreaming of their impending fate, the poor 
Acadians met at the appointed place, and were there 
informed of the fact, that their houses and lands 
were forfeited, and that they must leave the country, 
to become wanderers in strange and distant lands. 
They sued for mercy, but the iron yoke of a Chris- 
tian nation was laid more heavily upon their necks, 
in answer to that prayer, and they were driven from 
home and country ; and as they sailed from shore, 
or entered the wilderness, they saw in the distance, 
ascending to heaven, the smoke of all that they had 
loved and lost. Those who survived, found an 
asylum in the United States, and in the more 
remote portions of the British Empire ; and when, 
after the war, they were invited to return to their 



234 THE ACADIANS. 

early home, only thirteen hundred were known to 
be in existence. It is a remnant of this very people 
who, with their descendants, are now the owners of 
the Madawaska settlement ; and it is in an Acadian 
dwelling that I am now penning this paper. 

But, owing to their many misfortunes (I would 
speak in charity), the Acadians have degenerated 
into a more ignorant and miserable people than are 
the Canadian French, whom they closely resemble 
in their appearance and customs. They believe the 
people of Canada to be a nation of knaves, and the 
people of Canada know them to be a half sa^ 
community. Worshipping a miserable priesthood 
is their principal business ; drinking and cheating 
their neighbours, their principal amusement. They 
live by tilling the soil ; and arc content, if they can 
barely make the provision of one year take them to 
the entrance of another. They are, at the same 
time, passionate lovers of money, and have brought 
the science of fleecing strangers to perfection. 
Some of them, by a life of meanness, have suc- 
ceeded in accumulating a respectable property ; but 
all the money they obtain is systematically hoarded. 
It is reported of the principal man of this pL 
that he has in his house, at the present moment, 
the sum of 10,000 dollars, in silver and gold ; and 
yet this man's children are as ignorant of the alpha- 



THE BLOCK-HOUSE. 235 

bet as the cattle upon the hills. But, with all their 
ignorance, the Acadians are a happy people ; but it 
is the happiness of a mere animal nature. 

The scenery of this place, which does not seem 
to possess a name, is most agreeable, but its 
attractive features are of an architectural nature. 
The first is a block-house, and the second a 
Catholic church. 

The block-house occupies the summit of a com- 
manding and rocky knoll, and was built at a cost 
of nearly five thousand dollars, for the purpose of 
defending this portion of New Brunswick, during 
the existence of the late Boundary difficulty. The 
edifice is built of stone and timber, and may be 
described as a square box, placed upon another and 
a larger one, in a triangular fashion; the width 
may be thirty feet, and height one hundred and 
fifty. It is well supplied with port-holes ; entered 
by a wooden flight of stairs, and covered with a tin 
roof. It contains two stories, besides a well-filled 
magazine. It is abundantly supplied with guns 
and cannon, and almost every variety of shot, shells, 
and balls. It was once occupied by three military 
companies, (about all that it could possibly hold) 
but the only human being who now has anything 
to do with it is a worthy man who officiates as 
keeper. 



236 ACADIAN SETTLEMENT 

The panorama which this fortress overlooks is 
exceedingly picturesque, embracing both the valley 
of the Madawaska and that of St. John, which fade 
away amid a multitude of wild and uncultivated 
mountains. When first I looked upon this block- 
house, it struck me as being a most ridiculous 
affair ; but, on further examination, I became con- 
vinced that it could not be taken without the shed- 
ding of much blood. 

Of the church to which I alluded, I have only to 
remark that it is a very small, and apparently a 
venerable structure, built of wood, painted yellow, 
with a red steeple. It is pleasantly situated amid 
a cluster of rude cabins, on the margin of the St. 
John, and in the immediate vicinity of a race- 
course. It was my fate to spend a Sabbath in this 
Madawaska settlement. As a matter of course, I 
attended church. The congregation was large, and 
composed entirely of Acadians, decked out in the 
most ridiculous gew-gawish dresses imaginable. 
I noticed nothing extraordinary on the occasion, 
only that at the threshold of the church was a kind 
of stand, where a woman was selling sausages and 
small beer. The services were read in Latin, and 
a sermon preached in French, which contained 
nothing but the most common-place advice, and 
that all of a secular character. At the conclusion 



ON THE MADAWASKA. 237 

of the service the male portion of the congregation 
gradually collected together on the neighbouring 
green, and the afternoon was devoted to horse- 
racing, the swiftest horse belonging to the loudest 
talker and heaviest stake-planter, and that man 
was — a disciple of the Pope, and the identical 
priest whom I had heard preach in the morning. 
It will be hard for you to believe this ; but I have 
written the truth, as well as my last line, about the 
Acadian Settlement on the Madawaska. 



238 A SAIL DOWN 



CHAPTER XX. 

Sail down the Madawaska — The Falls of the St. John. 

Falls of the St. John. July. 

In coming to this place from the north, the 
traveller finds it necessary to descend the river St. 
John in a canoe. The distance from Madawaska is 
thirty-six miles, and the day that I passed down 
was delightful in the extreme. My canoe was only 
about fifteen feet long, but my voyageur was an expert 
and faithful man, and we performed the trip without 
the slightest accident. 

The valley of this portion of the river is moun- 
tainous, and its immediate banks vary from fifteen 
to thirty feet in height. The water is very clear 
and rapid, but of a brownish colour, and quite 
warm, varying in depth from three to thirty feet, 
and the width is about a quarter of a mile. That 



THE MADAWASKA. 239 

portion of the stream (say some seventy miles of its 
source) which belongs exclusively to the United 
States, runs through a fertile and beautiful country, 
abounds in waterfalls and rapids, and is yet a 
wilderness. That portion which divides the United 
States from New Brunswick, is somewhat cultivated, 
but principally by a French population. Owing to 
the fact that the farms all face the river, and are 
very narrow, (but extend back to the distance of 
two and three miles) the houses have all been 
erected immediately on the river, so that, to the 
casual observer, the country might appear to be 
thickly inhabited, which is far from being the case. 
The principal business done on the river is the 
driving of logs and timber for the market of St. 
John ; and, excepting the worthy and hard working 
lumbermen who toil in the forests, the people are 
devoted to the tilling of their land, and are precisely 
similar to the Acadians in their manners and 
customs, and probably from the same stock. There 
is a miniature steam-boat on the river, but as the 
unnumbered canoes of the inhabitants are engaged in 
a kind of opposition line, the fiery little craft would 
seem to have a hard time. In navigating the river, 
the voyageurs paddle down stream, but use a pole in 
ascending ; and two smart men, gracefully swinging 
their poles, and sending their little vessel rapidly 



240 PRIMITIVE TAVERN. 

against the current, taken in connection with the 
pleasant scenery of the river, present an agreeable 
and novel sight. 

We started from Madawaska at four o'clock in 
the morning, and having travelled some twenty 
miles, we thought we would stop at the first nice- 
looking tavern on the shore, (for about every other 
dwelling is well supplied with liquor, and con- 
sequently considered a tavern) for the purpose of 
obtaining breakfast. Carefully did we haul up our 
canoe, and having knocked at the cabin-door, were 
warmly welcomed by a savage-looking man, wh 
face was completely besmeared with milk, and also 
by a dirty-looking woman, a couple of dirty legged 
girls, and a young boy. The only furniture in the 
room was a bed and a small cupboard, while the 
fire-place was without a particle of fire. In one 
corner of the room was a kind of bar, where the boy 
was in attendance, and seemed to be the spokesman 
of the dwelling. We asked him if we could have 
some breakfast, and he promptly replied that we 
could. 

" What can you give us ?" was my next ques- 
tion. 

" Anything you please," replied the boy in broken 
English. 

" We'll take some ham and eggs, then." 



FALLS OF THE ST. JOHN. 241 

" We havn't any, only some eggs." 
u We'll take some bread and milk." 
" We havn't any bread, but plenty of milk." 
" Havn't you any kind of meat V 3 
" No, plenty of rum ! What'll you have ?" 
I could stand this no longer, and having expressed 
my displeasure at the ignorance of the boy, and 
condemned his father for pretending to keep a 
tavern, I gave the former a sixpence, and took 
half-a-dozen eggs, with which we returned to our 
canoe. 

While I was fixing my seat in the boat, and 
commenting upon wilderness hospitality, my com- 
panion amused himself by swallowing four of the 
purchased eggs in a leather cup of brandy. In 
two hours after this little adventure, our little 
canoe was moored above the Falls of the St. 
John, and we were enjoying a first rate break- 
fast, prepared by the lady of a Mr. Russell, who 
keeps a comfortable house of entertainment in this 
place. 

After I had finished my cigar and enjoyed a rest- 
ing spell, I pocketed my sketch-book, and spent the 
entire day examining the scenery of the falls. After 
making a broad and beautiful sweep, the river St. 
John here forms a sudden turn, and becoming con- 
tracted to the width of about fifty yards, the waters 



242 



FALLS OF THE ST. JOHN. 



make a plunge of perhaps forty feet, which is mostly 
in a solid mass, though rather disposed to form the 
third of a circle from shore to shore. Below this pitch, 
and extending for about two miles, is a continued 
succession of falls, which make the entire descent 
upwards of eighty feet. The water rushes through 
what might be termed a winding chasm, whose walls 
are perhaps one hundred and fifty or two hundred 
feet high, and perpendicular. 




FALLS OF ST. JOHN. 

Generally speaking, the entire distance from the 
first fall to the last, presents a perfect sheet of 
foam, though around every jutting point is a black 
and apparently bottomless pool, which, when I 
peered into them, were alive with salmon, 



FALLS OF THE ST. JOHN. 243 

leaping into the air or swimming on the margin 
of the foam. On the western side of the Falls, 
to a great extent, the original forest has been 
suffered to remain, and a walk through their 
shadowy recesses is an uncommon treat ; and on this 
side also is the ruin of an old saw-mill, which, for 
a wonder, actually adds to the picturesque beauty of 
the spot. On the eastern side of the Falls is a com- 
manding hill, which has been stripped of its forest, 
and now presents a stump-field of three hundred 
acres. It is a desolate spot, but in strict keeping 
with the enterprise of the province. The expense of 
clearing, or rather half clearing the hill in question, 
was six thousand dollars, and it was the original 
intention of the mother-government to erect thereon 
an extensive fortress ; but owing to the birth of a 
sensible reflection, the idea was abandoned. The 
barracks of the place as they "now exist, consist of 
two log-houses, which are occupied by a dozen 
sprigs of the British army. And thus endeth my 
account of the most picturesque spot in New 
Brunswick, which, I doubt not, may hereafter 
become a fashionable place of summer resort. 



m3 



244 AROOSTOOK. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

The Hermit of Aroostook. 

Mouth of the Aroostook. July. 
I was on my way down the river St. John, in 
New Brunswick, and having heard that the Aroos- 
took, (one of its principal tributaries,) was famous 
for its salmon and a picturesque waterfall, I had 
taken up my quarters at a tavern near the mouth of 
that stream, with a view of throwing the fly for a 
few days, and adding to my stock of sketches. I 
arrived at this place in the forenoon, and after 
depositing my luggage in an upper room, and 
ordering a dinner, I proceeded to arrange my tackle 
and pencils for an afternoon expedition. This pre- 
paratory business I performed in the sitting-room of 
the tavern, where there happened to be seated at 
the time, and reading the New York Albion, an 
oddly-dressed but gentlemanly-looking man. In 



I 



THE HERMIT OF AROOSTOOK. 245 

form, he was tall and slender, appeared to be about 
fifty years of age, and there was such an air of 
refinement in his appearance and manners that he 
attracted my particular attention. I said nothing, 
however, and quietly continued my snelling opera- 
tions, until summoned to dinner. While at the 
table, I sent for the landlord, to inquire about the 
stranger whom I had noticed, and his reply was as 
follows : — " His name is Robert Egger; he is a 
strange but good man, and lives the life of a re- 
cluse ; his house is above the Fall, on the Aroostook, 
and about four miles from here. He has been in 
this part of the country for many years, but I 
seldom see him at my house, excepting when he 
wants to read the news, put a letter in the office, or 
purchase a bag of flour." 

With this intelligence I was quite delighted, for I 
fancied that I had discovered a character, which 
eventually proved to be the case. On returning to 
the room where the stranger was seated, I intro- 
duced myself by offering him a cigar ; and while 
fixing my rod, asked him a few questions about the 
surrounding country. His replies proved him to be 
an intelligent man, and as he happened to express 
himself a lover of the " gentle art," I offered him 
the use of some fishing tackle, and invited him to 
accompany me. He refused my offer, but accepted 



246 ANNOYING ACCIDENT. 

my invitation, and we started for the Aroostook. 
He officiated as my guide ; and when we approached 
the river, which was from two to five feet deep, 
about one hundred yards wide, very rapid, and filled 
with bridge piers in ruin, we jumped into a French- 
man's canoe, and were landed on the northern 
shore. Here we came into a road which pas 
directly along the bank of the river ; this we 
followed for one mile, until we arrived at a flooring* 
mill, situated at the mouth of a large ami very 
beautiful brook, where the road made a sudden turn 
towards the north. 

Directly opposite the mill, on the Aroostook side, 
was a narrow and rapid rift, where, my friend told 
mo, I was sure to hook a salmon. I did not like the 
appearance of the place, but took his advice and 
waded in. I tried my luck for some thirty minutes, 
but could not tempt a single fish. This, my friend 
did not understand ; he said there were salmon 
there, and thought that the fault was mine. I knew 
what he wanted, and therefore handed him my rod, 
that he might try his fortune. He fished for nearly 
half an hour, and then broke the fly-tip of my rod. 
As I was cherishing an earnest desire to take at least 
one salmon, under the Fall, which I thought the 
only likely place to succeed, and towards which I 
had set my face, this little accident made me exceed- 



A BEAUTIFUL PROSPECT. 247 

ingly nervous. My friend attempted to console me 
by remarking, that as it was getting towards 
evening, we had better return to the tavern, and 
take a fresh start in the morning. But this propo- 
sition did not suit me at all, and I promptly said so. 
" Just as you please," replied my companion, and so 
we repaired the rod, and continued up the river. 
Very rapid, with many and deep pools, was this 
portion of the stream ; and our course along the 
shore, over logs and fallen trees, through tangled 
underbrush and around rocky points — was attended 
with every imaginable difficulty, and so continued 
for at least two miles. On coming in sight of the 
Fall, however, I was more than amply repaid for all 
my trouble, by the prospect which there presented 
itself. It was, perhaps, one hour before sunset, and 
there was a delightful atmosphere resting upon the 
landscape. 

Directly before me, in the extreme distance, and 
immediately under the crimson sun, was a narrow 
rocky "gorge, through which foamed the waters of 
the Aroostook, over a precipice of some thirty feet ; 
and just below the Fall, rose a perpendicular rock, 
to the height of nearly a hundred feet, dividing the 
stream into two channels. The entire middle 
distance of the prospect was composed of a broad 
and almost circular basin of very deep and dark 



248 SALMON SPEARING. 

water, skirted mostly with a rocky shore, while 
directly across the surface of this pool, winding 
down the stream, was a line of foam, distinguishing 
the main channel ; while the foreground of this 
picture consisted of a gravelly beach, two bark wig- 
wams, several canoes, and some half dozen Indians, 
who were enjoying their evening meal by the side of 
an expiring fire. 

We held a brief conversation with the Indians, 
and found out that they had visited the basin for 
the purpose of spearing salmon by torchlight j and 
while my companion sat down in their midst to rest 
himself, I jumped into one of the canoes, and 
paddled to the foot of the fall, to try one of my 
fancy flies. I fished for about thirty minutes — 
caught one small salmon — lost two very large ones, 
and returned to the Indian camp, where I had pre- 
viously concluded to spend the night, provided my 
guide did not insist upon returning to the tavern by 
moonlight. It so happened, however, that my 
interesting plan was vetoed by my companion, who 
told me that his dwelling was only a mile off, and 
that I must go and spend the night with him. I 
willingly assented to this proposition, and having 
picked up the salmon, we engaged the Indians to 
ferry us across the basin, and proceeded on our way. 
Our path was somewhat narrow, crooked, and intri- 



249 

cate, and as I listened to the roaring of the water- 
fall, and thought of the mystery which hung over 
my companion, I could not but wonder what I was 
about, to what strange place I was going. 

In due time, however, we emerged from the 
woods, and came out upon the side of a gentle hill, 
which sloped to the margin of the Aroostook, and 
was sufficiently open to command an extensive view 
of the river. Here my friend told me to tarry a few 
moments, for he had a canoe hidden among some 
willows, and wished to hunt it up, that we might 
recross the river once more. I heard his words, but 
neglected to assist him, for my whole attention was 
riveted by the scene upon which I was gazing. The 
sober livery of twilight had settled upon the world, 
and the flowing of the river was so peaceful, that I 
could distinctly hear the hum of unnumbered 
insects, as they sported in the air. On the opposite 
shore was a lofty forest-covered hill, and at the foot 
of it a small clearing, in the centre of which stood a 
rude log cabin — the dwelling-place of my friend. 
On my left, the river presented the appearance of a 
lake : and apparently in the centre of it were two of 
the most exquisitely foliaged islands imaginable. 
The valley seemed completely hemmed in with 
mountains, and these, together with a glowing sky, 
were all distinctly mirrored in the sleeping waters. 

m 3 



'250 



THE HERMIT'S DWELLING. 



Charming beyond compare was this evening land- 
scape, and the holy time "was quiet as a mm, 
breathless with adoration." But now toy companion 




ROBERT BGGERS FA RM- HOUSE. 



summoned me to a seat in the canoe, and we passed 
over the stream in safety ; he hauled up his shallop, 
laid aside his paddle, and, slapping me on the 
shoulder, led the way to his cabin, repeating, in a 
loud clear voice, the following words : 

" Alone I live, between four hills,— 
Famed Roostook runs between; — 
At times, wild animals appear, 
But men are seldom seen." 

On entering the hut, which was now quite dark, 
as it only contained one window, my companion 



THE HERMITS dwelling. 251 

turned abruptly round, and after making a frolic- 
some remark about my being in his power, lie 
exclaimed — " That poetry I repeated to you just 
now was a home-spun article, but as you might 
fancy something a little more civilized, I would say 
to you, my young friend, in the language of 
Wordsworth's " Solitary/' 

" This is my domain, my cell, 
My hermitage, my cahin, what you will — 
I love it better than a snail his house, 
But now ye shall be feasted with our best." 

Soon as these words had fallen from his lips, my 
friend proceeded to collect some wood for a fire, and 
while I was left to kindle the flame, he seized a tin- 
pail and went after some spring water, which he 
said was some distance off. In a few moments, I 
produced a sufficient quantity of light to answer my 
purpose, and then took occasion to survey the room, 
into which I had been thus strangely introduced. 
Everything about me seemed to be oddity itself. 
First was the huge fire-place, rudely made of rough 
stones and filled with ashes; then the blackish 
appearance of the log walls around, and the hemlock 
rafters above. In one corner stood a kind of 
wooden box, filled with blankets, which answered 
the purpose of a bed, — and in front of the only 
window in the cabin was a pine table, on which 



252 

stood an inkstand and some writing paper, and 
under which sat a large gray cat, watching my 
movements with a suspicious eye. In one place 
stood a wooden chest, and a half-barrel of meal, and 
the only things in the room, to sit upon were a 
couple of wooden chairs. The crevices in the walls 
were stopped up with rags and clay, and from 
various rafters depended bundles of mint, hemlock, 
and other useful productions of the wood. A rusty 
old gun, and a home-made fishing rod occupied one 
corner ; and on every side, resting upon wooden 
pegs, were numerous shelves, of every size and form, 
which were appropriated to a variety of uses. On 
one or two of them were the cooking utensils of my 
friend ; on another, a lot of smoky books ; and on 
others, a little of every thing, from a box of salt or 
paper of tea, down to a spool of thread or a paper of 
needles. 

In a few moments my friend re-entered the cabin, 
and immediately began to prepare our evening meal, 
which consisted of bread, fried pork, and salmon, 
and a cup of tea. Plain was our food, but it wa 
nicely cooked as if it had been done by a pretty 
girl, instead of an old man ; and the comic pompo- 
sity with which every little matter was attended to, 
afforded me much amusement. One thing I re- 
member, which struck me as particularly funny. 



HIS OPINION OF PEEL. 253 

My host was talking about the conduct of Sir 
Robert Peel and the British Parliament, and, while 
in the midst of his discourse, opened a trap -door 
leading to his cellar, and descended therein. I knew 
not what he was after, and waited his re-appearance 
with some anxiety, when suddenly he bobbed up his 
ghost-like head, resumed the thread of his remarks, 
and held forth in one hand a huge piece of fat pork, 
and as he became excited about the conduct of the 
Prime Minister, he occasionally slapped the pork 
with the remaining hand, and then shook it in the 
air, as if it had been one of the murderous Irishmen to 
whom he was occasionally alluding. He reminded 
me of the grave-digger in Hamlet. I also remember, 
that when my friend was kneading his bread, the 
idea entered his head, from some remark that I had 
dropped, that I did not comprehend the meaning of 
a certain passage in Shakspeare, so he immediately 
wiped one of his hands, leaned over for his ragged 
copy of the mighty bard, and immediately settled 
the question to our mutual satisfaction. 

Supper being ended, I pulled out of my pocket a 
couple of cigars which I had brought with me, and 
we then seated ourselves comfortably before the fire 
and entered into a systematic conversation. The 
greater part of the talking was done by my com- 
panion, and in the course of the evening, I gathered 



254 



the following particulars respecting his own 
history. 

He told me he was a native of Hampshire, 
England, and had spent his boyhood in the city of 
London, as a counting-house clerk. He claimed a 
good name for his family, and added that Mr. 
Jerdan, editor of the London Literary Gazette, was 
his brother-in-law, having married his only sister. 
He avowed himself about sixty years of age, and had 
been a resident of New Brunswick ever since the 
year 1809. He first came across the Atlantic as a 
government agent, for the transaction of business 
connected with the fur trade ; and when he settled 
in the province, the whole country was an untrodden 
wilderness. Since that time he had followed a 
variety of employments, had acquired a competence, 
but lost it through the rascality of friends. He told 
me he was a widower, and that he had one son, who 
resided in Frederiekton, and was rapidly acquiring a 
reputation for his knowledge of engineering. "It 
does my heart good to remember this fact," conti- 
nued my friend, " and I do hope that my son will not 
disgrace his family, as some people seem to think I 
have done. The God-forsaken inhabitants of this 
region have a habit of calling me a crazy old man. 
God be praised, — I know they overshoot the mark 
in that particular; if I have lost my reason, I can 



255 

tell the mocking world, that I have endured trouble 
enough to make even a philosopher, a raving 
maniac. By patient and unwearied toil, I have won 
two small fortunes, but both of them were snatched 
away, and I was left a beggar. The Home Govern- 
ment took pity on me, and offered to make me a 
present of land, adding that I was at liberty to 
make my own selection. I accepted their offer and 
selected five hundred acres on the Aroostook, 
making the Fall we visited this evening the centre 
of my domain. I duly received a deed for the 
property, and having concluded that my fellow-men 
were as tired of me as I was of them, I bolted for 
the wilderness and have lived here ever since. Yes, 
sir, for twelve years have I been the only human 
inmate of this rude cabin ; I ought to except, 
however, 'a lucid interval' of some nine months, 
which I spent in England, about four years ago, 
visiting my friends and the favourite haunts of my 
childhood. To enjoy even that little luxury, I was 
compelled to sacrifice a portion of my land." 

" But why do you not sell your entire property V- 
I remarked, "and take up your abode among 
men, where your knowledge might be made avail- 
able V 

" Knowledge, indeed \" replied the hermit philo- 
sopher ; " all that I possess,, you might easily hide 



256 

in the bowl of an acorn. I do know enough to 
cast my eyes heavenward, when crushed by misfor- 
tune, but the same knowledge was possessed by the 
worm upon which I accidentally trod this morning. 
What is man, at his best estate, but a worm ? But 
this is not answering your question. My only 
reason for not selling this property is, that I cannot 
find a purchaser. Most gladly would I jump at 
the chance, and then I would mingle with my 
fellow-men, and endeavour to be of them. Tra- 
vellers, who sometimes pass through this region, 
tell me that my property is worth 5000 doll;> 
I know it to be worth at least that amount, but I 
should be glad to sell it for 3000 dollars, and that 
too, on a credit of ten years. The interest would, 
indeed, be a meagre income, but I have schooled 
myself in the ways of poverty ; and though it once 
cost me 2000 dollars to carry me through a single 
year, I can tell you that my expenses for the last 
five years have not averaged more than 20 dollars, 
which I have had to obtain as best I could. But 
you must not misunderstand me. The little clearing 
which surrounds my rookery contains six acres, and, 
as I cultivate them with all diligence, they keep me 
from actual starvation. " 

"But it strikes me, my dear sir, that you ask 
rather an extravagant price for your uncultivated 



257 

land V 9 I asked this question with a view of 
obtaining some information in reference to the valley 
of the Aroostook, and was not disappointed. The 
reply of my friend was as follows : 

" I can convince you that you are mistaken. In 
the first place, the water privilege which my land 
covers, is acknowledged to be the most valuable 
on the Aroostook, and I may add that it is abun- 
dantly fertile. And then think of the valley, at 
the very threshold of which I am located. It is 
one of the most beautiful and luxuriant in this 
northern wilderness ; and the only thing against it, 
though I say it, that should not, is the fact that 
nearly five miles of its outlet belongs to the English 
Government, while the remainder belongs to the 
United States. The whole of it ought to be yours, 
but if it were, I would not live here a year ; I am 
near enough to you now ; directly on the boundary- 
line between your country and mine. The Aroos- 
took, I verily believe, is one of the most important 
branches of the St. John. Its general course is 
easterly, but it is exceedingly serpentine, and 
according to some of your best surveyors, drains 
upwards of a million acres of the best soil in Maine. 
Above my place, there is hardly a spot that might 
not be navigated by a small steam-boat ; and I 
believe the time is not far distant when your 



258 the hermit's story. 

enterprising Yankees will have a score of boats 
employed here in carrying their grain to market. 
Before that time comes, however, you must dig a 
canal or build a railroad around my beautiful 
waterfall, which I am sure could be done for 
20,000 dollars. An extensive lumbering business 
is now carried on in the valley, but its future 
prosperity must depend upon its agriculture. Already 
arc its shores dotted with well-cultivated farms, and 
every year is adding to their number, and the rural 
beauty of those already in existence. The soil of 
this valley is rich, and composed principally of what 
is called alluvial (not intervale) land, together with 
the quality known as vpland. In many portions, 
however, you will find some of the most charming 
intervales in the world. The trees of this region 
are similar to those of your northern states. The 
staple crop of the Aroostook farmer is wheat ; owing 
to the shortness of our seasons, corn does not arrive 
at perfection, and its cultivation is neglected. Rye, 
barley, and oats, all flourish here, but much more 
buckwheat is raised than any other grain besides 
wheat. Grasses flourish here in great perfection, 
and the farmer of Aroostook will yet send to market 
immense quantities of cattle. As to the climate, 
it is not so severe as is generally supposed. Snow- 
falls early, and continues late, which prevents the 



259 

ground from freezing very deep. And when 
summer comes, as you may testify, the weather is 
sufficiently warm for every necessary purpose. Now, 
Sir, do you not think I have made out a clear 
case V I answered in the affirmative, and thanked 
him for the information he had given me. Like 
Oliver Twist, however, I was anxious for "more," 
and therefore endeavoured to start him on another 
subject. In this laudable effort I fully succeeded ; 
and by merely expressing the opinion that he 
must lead a very lonely life in this remote wilder- 
ness. 

" Not at all, not at all," replied my friend. " It 
is my good fortune to belong to that class of men 
who depend upon books, the works of nature, and 
themselves for happiness, and not upon a selfish 
and heartless world. As to my books, they are 
not very abundant, nor are they bound in fancy 
morocco, but the substance of them is of the right 
sort. Foremost among them is the Bible, which 
tells even a poor devil like me that he is a man. 
Perfect in their generation are the truths of this 
glorious old book ; they have an important bearing 
upon everything ; and they should be studied and 
cherished with jealous care. But the earth-born 
minds, with whom I hold daily communion, 
are the mighty Shakspeare, the splendid Gibbon, 



260 the hermit's story. 

the good and loving brother poets Thompson and 
Wordsworth, the gifted but wayward Burns, the 
elegant and witty Addison, and the ponderous 
Johnson. These are the minds which always afford 
me solid satisfaction. As to the immense herd who 
keep the printing-presses of the present day con- 
stantly employed, I know nothing about them, and 
care still less. And now as to the pleasures which 
are brought to me by the revolving seasons. They 
are indeed manifold, and it is pleasant to remember 
that ' Nature never did betray the heart that loved 
her.' The hills which surround my cabin, I look 
upon as familiar friends, not only when crowned 
with a wreath of snow, but when rejoicing in their 
summer bloom ; and a more peaceful and heart - 
soothing stream can nowhere be found, than the 
one which flows along by my door, and you know 
from experience that it abounds in the finest of 
salmon and trout. The surrounding woods furnish 
me with game, but their greatest treasures are the 
ten thousand beautiful birds, which make melody 
in their little hearts, and afford me unalloyed pleasure 
for at least one half the year. I seldom have occasion 
to kill these feathered minstrels for food, and the 
consequence is, whenever I go out into my fields 
to work, they gather around me without fear, and 
often come so near, as to be in my very way. The 



261 

quail and the wren, the jay and the blue-bird, the 
mocking-bird, the partridge, the fish-hawk, the 
eagle and the crow, and also the swallow, the owl, and 
whip-poor-will, all build their nests within a stone's 
throw of my door, and they know that the friendless 
old man will do them no harm. And then what 
exquisite pleasure do I continually enjoy in watching 
the ever-varying changes of the year ! First, when 
the primrose tells me that the rains are over and 
gone, and I go forth in the refreshing sunshine to 
sow my seeds ; secondly, when the glorious summer 
is in its prime, with its dewy mornings and lovely 
twilights ; also in the sober autumnal time, when 
I thoughtfully count the leaves floating on the 
bosom of the stream ; and then again when the cold 
winds of winter are howling around my cabin, and 
I sit in my pleasant solitude before a roaring fire, 
building palaces in my mind, as I peer into the 
burning embers. Yes, sir, I have learned to live 
without excitement, and to depend upon myself for 
the companionship I need. I do, indeed, occasionally 
steal out of my beautiful vale, and mingle with my 
fellow-men ; but I always return perfectly contented 
with my lot. After all, I do not believe that the 
world could add greatly to my stock of happiness, 
even if I were a worshipper of Mammon, a brawling 
politician, or a responsible statesman." 



262 

"But, Mr. Egger, it strikes me that your 
manner of life is not in keeping with the Bible, 
for which you have expressed so much rever- 
ence." 

u That may be true," was the reply, " but I 
make no sanctimonious pretensions. I do but 
little to promote the happiness of my fellow-men, 
and I congratulate myself with the idea that 1 
do as little to make them miserable. The influence 
of my example amounts to nothing, and I give 
no bread to the poor, because I have none to 
give. But let us drop the subject; I feel that 
your questions may so annoy me, that I shall 
be compelled to abandon the glorious old wilder- 
ness, and become a denizen of the busy and noisy 
world." 

A breach having thus been made in our discourse, 
I examined my wateli and found it to be near 
twelve o'clock. My companion took the hint, and 
immediately proceeded to fix a sleeping-place that 
would accommodate us both. This was done by 
spreading the clothes of the wooden bedstead upon 
the floor. While going through with this little opera- 
tion, he held high above his head a ragged old 
bed-quilt, and asked me what I thought Queen 
Victoria would say, if she had such an article to 
rest her royal limbs upon ? He then pointed to 



the hermit's dormitory. 263 

the particular spot which he wanted me to occupy, 
giving as a reason for the request, that there was 
a hole on the opposite side of his mansion, where 
toads, rats, and weasels were frequently in the 
habit of entering, and he was afraid they might 
annoy me, though he had never been disturbed 
by their nocturnal visits. This information appeared 
to me somewhat peculiar, but did not prevent me 
from undressing myself to lie down. When about 
half through this business, however, I was actually 
compelled to take a seat on account of a laughing-fit, 
brought upon me by one or two stories, which my 
host related for my special benefit. What a strange 
man indeed ! thought I ; and making another effort, 
I tumbled into bed. In the meantime, my com- 
panion had stripped himself of everything but his 
shirt, and, in spite of the frailty of his (< spindle 
shanks," was throwing himself into the attitudes 
for which Kemble was distinguished, whose acting 
he had often witnessed in olden times. I was 
already quite exhausted with excess of laughter, and 
I verily believed that the queer antics of the anchorite 
and philosopher would be the death of me. But I 
felt that I must go to sleep, and, in self-defence, 
partly covered my head with the end of a quilt, 
and almost swore that I would not be disturbed 
again. 



264 NOCTURNAL DISTURBANCES. 

I did not swear, however, and was consequently 
again disturbed. I had just fixed my head upon 
the pillow, as I thought for the last time, when I 
was startled by a tremendous yell proceeding from 
without the cabin. I rushed out of the house, as 
if the Old Harry himself had been after me, and 
beheld my spare and venerable friend, sitting upon 
a stump, gazing upon the rising moon, and listening 
to the distant howl of a wolf, with one of his feet 
dangling to and fro, like the pendulum of a clock. 
u Was'nt that a musical yell, my boy V were the 
first words spoken by the hermit mad-cap ; and then 
he went on to point out all the finer features of 
the scene spread out before us. Silently flowed the 
stream, grand and sublime looked the mountains. 
clear and very blue the sky, spirit-like the moon and 
stars, and above the neighbouring waterfall ascended 
a column of spray, which was fast melting into a 
snowy cloud. After enjoying this picture for a 
reasonable time, my companion then proposed that 
we should enjoy a swim in the river, to which 
arrangement I assented, even as did the wedding 
guest of Coleridge to the command of the Ancient 
Mariner. Our bath ended, we returned to the 
cabin, and in the course of half-an-hour, the hermit 
and the stranger were side by side in the arms of 
sleep. 



FAREWELL TO THE HERMIT. 265 

On opening my eyes in the morning, the pleasant 
sunshine was flooding the floors through the open 
door, and my friend, who had risen without dis- 
turbing me, was frying some trout which he had 
just taken in the stream. I arose, rolled up the 
bed, and prepared myself for breakfast, which was 
particularly relished by the giver and the receiver. 
I spent the forenoon rambling about the estate of 
my old friend, and enjoying the surrounding 
scenery; I then proposed to him that he should 
go down and be my guest at the tavern on the 
St. John for a day or two, which invitation was 
accepted. On my return, I took a sketch of the 
secluded vale where stands the cottage of my friend, 
also a profile of his own handsome face, and a view 
of his waterfall. The time of my departure having 
arrived, I left him with a heavy heart — I for my 
distant city-home, and he to return to his soli- 
tary cottage among the mountains. 



266 THE RIVER ST. JOHN. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

The River St. John. 

Woodstock. July. 

I have recently performed a pilgrimage along 
the valley of the Lower St. John, and as I am about 
to leave the river, it is meet that I should give my 
reader a record of my observations. The distance 
from the Falls of St. John to the city of that name, 
is two hundred and twenty miles. The width varies 
from a quarter of a mile to nearly two miles, and 
the depth from two to forty feet. That portion 
lying north of Frederickton, abounds in rapids and 
shallows, and is navigated only by flat-bottomed 
boats, which are taken up stream by horse power, 
but descend with the current. Here, for the most 
part, the shores are mountainous, and only partly 
cultivated, with high and picturesque banks; the 



THE NARROWS. 267 

lowest portion, however, is of a level character, 
and presents the appearance of an ancient and 
highly cultivated country, and is navigated by 
steam-boats, and the common sail craft of the 
country. The soil, all along the shores, is good, 
but seems better adapted for grass than wheat, 
and I can see no good reason for its not becoming 
greatly distinguished as a grazing country. 

The river is not distinguished for any pictorial 
feature, (though it abounds in beautiful landscapes,) 
excepting a place called the Narrows, situated at the 
southern extremity. At this point, the stream is 
not more than five hundred yards wide, and as it is 
bounded on either side by a high, rocky barrier, 
the current ordinarily passes through with great 
rapidity. The tides of the ocean ascend about 
thirty miles, and it is only when the tide is high 
that the point in question can be navigated. 
Though these Narrows are a great annoyance to 
the navigator, by the lover of the picturesque they 
are highly esteemed. Not only are they beautiful 
in themselves, but, owing to the peculiarity of 
the place, it is frequently the case that the broad 
expanse of water above it, is covered with a fleet 
of sloops, schooners, steam-boats, tow-boats, and 
timber-crafts, which present a peculiar and agree- 
able panorama. The river abounds with salmon and 

n 2 



268 PRINCIPAL TOWNS 

shad, the former of which, though rather small, may 
be taken by the angler in the principal tributaries. 
They are not sufficiently abundant, however, to con- 
stitute an important article of commerce, and the 
common modes for taking them are with the spear, 
and the drift-net. 

The principal towns on the St. John are, Wood- 
stock, French Village, Frederickton, and St. John. 
The first of these is one hundred and fifty miles 
from the mouth, and though a ragged, yet an 
interesting village. So far as its natural productions 
are concerned, I am disposed to compliment this 
Province in the highest terms ; but I must say that 
the ignorance, idleness, and gouging character of 
its common people, have made mc quite willing to 
take my departure therefrom. The expenses of 
travelling are enormous, and so also are all the 
little incidentals which go to make a man com- 
fortable. 

The stage-route from the Grand Falls to St. John 
passes through "Woodstock, but the distance from 
this place to the American town of Houlton, is ten 
miles, and in this direction there is also an established 
stage-route to Bangor. 

The next place on the St. John, of any note, 
is French Village. It usually contains a thousand 
souls — most of them Indians. They live in frame 



ON THE ST. JOHN. 269 

and log-houses, and though they pretend to do 
some farming, they are chiefly engaged in hunting 
and fishing. They are a good-looking race, speak 
English fluently, and are the followers of a Catholic 
priest, who lives among them, and officiates in a 
small chapel, which was built by the Jesuits at an 
early day. This society is said to be one of the 
most wealthy in the Province. The chief of the 
village is one Louis Beir. He lives in a very com- 
fortable, and well-furnished house, is rather a 
handsome man, dresses in a half-savage manner, 
and while he offers his visitor a comfortable chair, 
he invariably seats himself upon the floor in true 
Indian fashion. 

Frederickton is at the head of steam-boat naviga- 
tion, and distant from St. John eighty miles. 
Between these two places there runs a morning 
and evening boat, and the summer travel is very 
extensive. Frederickton contains about eight thou- 
sand inhabitants, composed principally, of Irish, 
Scotch, and English. It contains three principal 
streets, running north and south, and some half- 
dozen handsome public buildings, including an 
Episcopal church, after the Tuscan order, a Court 
House and a College. The town is situated on a 
level plain, and its suburbs are made exceedingly 
beautiful by the number of rural residences which 



270 FREDERICKTON ST. JOHN. 

attract the eye in every direction. The elm and 
poplar both seem to flourish here, and add much to 
the picturesqueness of the place and vicinity. The 
business of Frederickton is only of a second-rate 
character, and it has become what it is, merely from 
the fact that it has heretofore been the seat of 
Government. This fact has also had a tendency to 
collect a good society in the place, and its " ton," 
though in a small way have been disposed to cut quite 
a dash. The u mother Parliament," I believe, have 
recently removed the seat of government to St. John, 
and the lovers of Frederickton are sorry, and a little 
angry. 

The city of St. John stands at the mouth of the 
river of that name, and is also laved by the waters of 
the Bay of Fundy. I hate cities, but suppose that I 
must stop a moment in the one alluded to. It is a 
business place, planted among rocks, contains some 
twenty thousand inhabitants, (two-thirds of whom 
are Irish,) and in 'its port, at the present time, is 
moored a fleet of two hundred ships. Its public 
buildings are numerous, the finest of which are the 
Court House, an Episcopal church, of the Doric 
order, another after the Gothic, and a Presbyterian 
church, after the Corinthian order. The city is 
defended by a fortress, which presents a handsome 
appearance as you approach the port. The merchants 



CARLTON HILL. 271 

of the place are chiefly employed in the square- timber 
trade, and have heretofore done an extensive business. 
This trade, however, I am inclined to believe, is 
rapidly running out. On the opposite side of the 
St. John's river is a picturesque point, or hill, which 
is called Carlton Hill. It is surmounted by a massive 
block-house, and commands an extensive prospect of 
the Bay of Fundy, the spring tides of which rise to 
the height of sixty feet, and when coming in make a 
terrible roar. 



272 THE PENOBSCOT. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

The Penobscot River. 

Off the Coast of Maine. July. 

A week ago I was fighting with mosquitoes 
and flies, on the head waters of the Penobscot, and 
now that I am upon the ocean once more, 1 fancy 
that my feelings are allied to those of an old moose 
that I lately saw standing in a mountain lake, with 
the water up to his chin. The noble river which I 
have mentioned, " is all my fancy painted it," and 
in spite of its insect inhabitants, I shall ever remem- 
ber it with pleasure. 

The length of this stream, from the mouth of its 
bay, to where its principal branches come together, 
is about one hundred and forty miles ; from this 
junction, to the fountain head of the west branch, 
the distance is supposed to be one hundred and fifty 



INHABITANTS ON THE PENOBSCOT. 273 

miles, while the east branch is probably only one 
hundred miles in length. Both of these streams 
rise in the midst of a mountain wilderness, looming 
above which, is old Katahden, the loftiest mountain 
in Maine, and elder brother to Mount Washington, 
in New Hampshire. This mountain is distant from 
Moosehead Lake only about twenty miles; but it 
towers into the sky so grandly, that nearly all the 
people who inhabit the northern part of Maine, look 
upon it as a familiar friend. The two branches of 
the Penobscot, run through a mountainous region, 
both of them abounding in rapids, though the west 
branch contains a number of picturesque falls. 
The soil of this region, generally speaking, is good, 
but remains in its original wilderness. Its stationary 
inhabitants are few and far between ; but it gives 
employment to about three thousand lumbermen. 
They spend the winter in wielding the axe in the 
forests, and the spring and summer in driving down 
the stream logs which they have prepared for the 
saw-mills, which are mostly situated on the lower 
part of the Penobscot. Nine months in the year 
they labour without ceasing, but usually appropriate 
to themselves a three months holiday, which is 
the entire autumn. They are a young and power- 
fully built race of men, mostly New Englanders, 
generally unmarried, and, though rude and intem- 

n 3 



274 INHABITANTS ON THE PENOBSCOT. 

perate in their manners, are very intelligent. They 
seem to have a passion for their wild and toilsome 
life, and, judging from their dresses, I should think 
possess a fine eye for the comic and fantastic. The 
entire apparel of an individual usually consists of a 
pan of grey pantaloons, and two red flannel shirts, 
a pair of long boots, and a woollen covering for the 
head, and all these things are worn at one and the 
same time. The head-covering alluded to, when 
first purchased, is what might be called a hat ; but 
the wearers invariably take particular pains to trans- 
form the article into such queer shapes, as to render 
it indescribable. Sometimes they take the crown 
and tie it in the shape of a fool's-cap, and some- 
times they trim the rims with a jack-knife, into 
many different fashions. Their wages vary from 
twenty to thirty dollars per month ; and thev are 
chiefly employed by the lumber merchants of 
Bangor, who furnish them with necessary supplies. 

The Penobscot, I suppose, is unquestionably the 
most fruitful lumber river in the United States, and 
its pine and hemlock forests seem yet to be inex- 
haustible. And the State of Maine is indebted to 
the lumber business for many of its beautiful cities 
and towns. 

From the Forks of the Penobscot to Bangor, the 
distance is about sixty miles. This portion of the 



SCENERY OF THE PENOBSCOT. 275 

river is about a quarter of a mile wide. The banks 
are rather low and level, and somewhat cultivated. 
The water is deep and clear, and the current strong. 
Generally speaking, the scenery of the river is not 
remarkable, and were it not for its numerous islands, 
it might be considered tame, by the lover of a 
mountain land. The islands alluded to, however, 
are exceedingly beautiful. Covered as they are with 
venerable elms, and containing no underbrush, but 
a continuous plot of green, they have all the appear- 
ance of cultivated parks. The stage-route, from 
Woodstock, after reaching the Penobscot, continues 
along the eastern bank, and as the coaches are com- 
fortable, and the horses good, the ride is very 
pleasant. The principal village, of which there are 
four, is Old Town. It is a busy little place, and 
the present termination of a railroad from Bangor, 
which is twelve miles distant. Directly opposite 
Old Town is a small island, where reside a remnant 
of the Penobscot Indians. They number some four 
hundred souls, and are just sufficiently civilized to 
lead a very miserable sort of life. 

I come now to speak of Bangor. It is a well- 
built and handsome city, eighty miles from the 
ocean, and contains about eight thousand inhabi- 
tants. It is at the head of tide water navigation, 
and has a good harbour, where I counted from one 



276 INHABITANTS OF BANGOR. 

point near two hundred sails. The principal article 
of trade is lumber, which is distinguished for its 
good qualities. All the heaviest merchants are 
engaged in the lumber trade, and almost every body 
deals in it to a limited extent. A few thousand 
shingles will pay your tailor for a coat, a few loads 
of plank will settle your account with the butcher, 
and bundles of clap-boards are gladly received by 
the grocer, in exchange for his tea and sugar. 

With the people of Bangor I was much pleased. 
Their manners and habits are stamped with the 
true New England character, they mind their own 
business, and are distinguished for their intelligence, 
virtue, and hospitality. When I reached this place, 
my beard was more than half as long as that of the 
Wandering Jew ; and it took me nearly a whole day 
to forget the bad French which I had acquired in 
Canada and New Brunswick, and transform myself 
into the semblance of a civilized man. I had been 
in the woods for so long a time, that I seized the 
first paper I saw to find out whether I had for- 
gotten to read. You may readily imagine, therefore, 
what a refreshing effect the appearance and con- 
versation of intelligent people had upon my feelings. 
But the class of citizens who made the deepest 
impression upon me, were the children of Bangor. 
I met them at every corner, and heard their happy 



INHABITANTS OF BANGOR. 277 

voices in every dwelling, and a more perfectly 
beautiful race of creatures, I never before saw in 
any city. 

The distance from Bangor to the ocean is eighty 
miles. For twenty miles the river averages three 
quarters of a mile in width, when it gradually 
widens into an expansive bay or gulf. The water is 
deep, always covered with vessels, and abounds with 
salmon, which are only taken with the net. The 
shores are hilly, and well -cultivated, and the towns 
of Bucksport, Frankfort, Belfast and Thomaston, as 
you pass them, present each a thriving and pleasant 
appearance. 



278 MOOSEHEAD LAKE. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Moosehead Lake— The River Kennebeck. 

Portland. August. 

Moosehead Lake is the largest and the wildest 
in New England. It lies in the central portion of 
the State of Maine, and distant from the ocean near 
one hundred and fifty miles. Its length is fifty 
miles, and its width from five to fifteen. It is 
embosomed among a brotherhood of mountains, 
whose highest peak has been christened with the 
beautiful name of Katahden. All of them, from 
base to summit, are covered with a dense forest, in 
which the pine is by far the most abundant. It is 
the grand centre of the only wilderness region in 
New England, whose principal denizens are wild 
beasts. During the summer months, its tranquil 
waters remain in unbroken solitude, unless some 



WINTER AT MOOSEHEAD. 279 

scenery-hunting pilgrim, like myself, should happen 
to steal along its shores in his birchen canoe. But 
in the winter the case is very different, for then, all 
along its borders, may be heard the sound of the 
axe, wielded by a thousand men. Then it is that 
an immense quantity of logs are cut, to be manufac- 
tured into lumber at the extensive mills down the 
Kennebeck, which is the only outlet to the lake. 

A winter at Moosehead must be attended with 
much that is rare, and wild, and exciting, not only 
to the wealthy proprietor who has a hundred men 
to superintend, but even to the toiling chopper. 
Look at a single specimen of the gladdening scenes 
enacted in that forest world. It is an awful night, 
the winds wailing, the snow falling, and the forests 
making a moan. Before you is a spacious, but 
rudely built log cabin, almost covered with snow. 
But now, above the shriek of the storm, and the 
howl of the wolf, you hear a long, loud shout, from 
a score of human mouths. You enter the cabin, 
and lo, a merry band of noble men, some lying on a 
buffalo-robe, and some seated on a log, while the 
huge fire before them reveals every feature and 
wrinkle of their countenances, and makes a picture 
of the richest colouring. Now the call is for a 
song, and a young man sings a song of Scotland, 
which is his native land ; a mug of cider then goes 



280 LOG-CUTTING AND RAFTING. 

round, after which an old pioneer clears his throat 
for a hunting legend of the times of old j now the 
cunning jest is heard ; and peals of hearty laughter 
shake the building ; and now a soul-stirring speech 
is delivered in favour of Henry Clay. The fire-place 
is again replenished, when with a happy and con- 
tented mind each woodman retires to his couch, to 
sleep, and to dream of his wife and children, or of 
the buxom damsel whom he loves. 

The number of logs which these men cut in a 
single winter is almost incredible, and the business 
of conveying them to the lake upon the snow gives 
employment to a great many additional men and 
their oxen. The consequence is, that large quanti- 
ties of flour, potatoes, pork, and hay, are consumed ; 
and as these things are mostly supplied by the 
farmers of the Kennebeck, winter is the busiest 
season of the year throughout the region. "When 
the lake is released from its icy fetters in the spring, 
a new feature of the logging business comes into 
operation, which is called rafting. A large raft 
contains about eighteen thousand logs, and covers 
a space of some ten acres. In towing them to the 
Kennebeck, a small steamboat is employed, which, 
when seen from the summit of a hill, looks like a 
living creature struggling with a mighty incubus. 
But the most picturesque thing connected with this 



ISLANDS OF MOOSEHEAD LAKE. 281 

business is a floating log-cabin, called a Raft House, 
which ever attends a raft on its way to the river. 
During the summer, as before stated, Moosehead 
Lake is a perfect solitude, for the " log chopper" 
has become a " log driver" on the Kennebeck, — the 
little steamer being moored in its sheltering bay, 
near the tavern at the south end of the lake, and 
the toiling oxen having been permitted to enjoy 
their summer sabbath on the farm of their master. 

The islands of Moosehead Lake, of any size, are 
only four ; Moose and Deer Islands at the southern 
extremity, Sugar Island in the large eastern bay, 
and Farm Island in a north-western direction from 
that. All of these are covered with beautiful groves, 
but the time is not far distant when they will be 
cultivated farms. Trout are the principal fish that 
flourish in its waters, and may be caught at any 
time in great abundance. And thereby hangs a 
fish story. 

It was the sunset hour, and with one of my com- 
panions I had gone to a rocky ledge for the purpose 
of trying my luck. My bait was squirrel meat, and 
I was the first to throw the line. It had hardly 
reached the water, before I had the pleasure of 
striking and securing a two pound trout. This 
threw my friend into a perfect fever of excitement, 
so that he was exceedingly slow in cutting up the 



282 ABUNDANCE OF GAME. 

squirrels ; and it may be readily supposed that I was 
somewhat excited myself; so I "grabbed" the 
animal out of his hands, and in less than a " jiffy," 
and with my teeth, made a number of good baits. 
The conclusion of the whole matter was, that in 
less than forty minutes we had caught nearly 
seventy pounds of salmon trout. But the fish of 
Moosehead are not to be compared with those of 
Horicon in point of delicacy, though they are very 
large, and very abundant. The reason of this is, 
that its waters arc not remarkably clear, and a good 
deal of its bottom is muddy. Moose River, which 
is the principal tributary of the Lake, is a narrow, 
deep, and picturesque stream, where may be caught 
the common trout, weighing from one to five pounds. 
In this portion of Maine every variety of forest 
game may be found, but the principal kinds arc the 
grey wolf, the black bear, the deer, and the moose. 
Winter is the appropriate season for their capture, 
when they afford a deal of sport to the hunter, and 
furnish a variety of food to the forest labourers. 
Deer are so very plentiful, that a certain resident told 
me, that, in the deep snow of last winter, he caught 
some dozen of them alive, and having cut a slit in 
their ears, let them go, that they might recount to 
their kindred their marvellous escape. But the 
homeliest animal, the most abundant, and the best 



NIGHT ON THE MOOSE-RIVER. 283 

for eating, is the moose. I did not kill one, but 
spent a night with an old hunter who did. During 
the warm summer nights these animals, for the pur- 
pose of getting clear of the black-fly, are in the habit 
of taking to the water, where, with nothing but 
their heads in sight, they remain for hours. It was 
the evening of one of those cloudless nights, whose 
memoiy can never die. We were alone far up the 
Moose River, and it seemed to me, "we were the 
first that ever burst into that forest sea." Em- 
barked on board a swan-like canoe, and with our 
rifles ready, we carefully and silently descended the 
stream. How can I describe the lovely pictures 
that we passed ? Now we peered into a dark recess 
in the centre of a group of elms, where unnumbered 
fire-flies were revelling in joy ; — and now a solitary 
duck shot out into the stream from its hidden home, 
behind a fallen and decayed tree ; now we watched 
the stars mirrored in the sleeping waves, and now 
we listened to the hoot of the owl, the drum of the 
partridge, the song of a distant waterfall, or the leap 
of a robber-trout. It was not far from midnight 
when my companion whispered, " Hush, hush \" 
and pointed to a dim spot some hundred yards 
below. The first chance was allotted me, so I took 
the best aim I could, and fired. I heard the ball 
skip along the water, and on coming near, found 



284 TAVERN AT THE FORKS. 

my mark to be only a smooth rock. Two hours 
more passed on, one small moose was killed, and at 
day-break we were in our cabin fast asleep. 

The principal outlet to Moosehead Lake is the 
Kennebeck, which " now demands my song/' It 
is the second river in Maine, and one of the most 
beautiful I have ever seen. Instead of watering a 
wilderness, as I had supposed, all along its valley 
for over a hundred miles are fertile and extensive 
farms, with here and there a thriving village, inha- 
bited by an intelligent and industrious people. Its 
principal tributary is Dead River, and the spot at 
the junction of the two is called the Forks. The 
cultivated region stops here, and between this point 
and Moosehead, the distance is about twenty-live 
miles, which is yet a forest wilderness. 

The principal attraction at the Fork- is a tavern 
kept by one Bumkam, who is a capital fellow to 
guide the lover of Nature or the trout fisherman to 
Moxy Fall and Nameless Lake, which are in the 
immediate vicinity. The mountains about here are 
very lofty, and exceedingly picturesque, abounding 
in the maple, the oak, the pine, and hemlock. 
Emptying into the Kennebeck, a few miles north of 
the Forks, is a superb mountain-stream, named 
Moxy, after an Indian who was drowned there many 
years ago. Winding for a long distance among 



SUPERB MOUNTAIN STREAM. 285 

rocky ravines, and eternally singing to the woods a 
trumpet-song, it finally makes a sudden plunge into 
a chasm more than a hundred feet in depth. The 
perpendicular rocks on either side rise to an im- 
mense height, their tops crowned with a " peculiar 
diadem of trees," and their crevices filled up with 
dark-green verdure, whence occasionally issues, 
hanging gracefully in the air, beautiful festoons of 
the ivy, and clusters of the mountain blue-bell. 
The depth of the pool was never told, and its waters 
wash against the granite walls in a perpetual gloom. 
On one occasion I visited it when there was a high 
freshet, and saw what 1 could hardly have believed 
from a description. I stood on an elevated poin 
in front of the Fall, when my eyes rested upon an 
immense log, some sixty feet long, coming down 
the foaming stream with all the fury of a maddened 
steed; presently it reached the precipice, — then 
cleaved its airy pathway into the hell of waters, — 
was completely out of sight for three minutes, then, 
like a creature endowed with life, shot upward again 
entirely out of the water, made another less despe- 
rate plunge, and quietly pursued its course into the 
Kennebeek. 

In speaking of the Nameless Lake, it is necessary 
that I should be a little egotistical. It is a fairy- 



286 LAKE LANMAN. 

like sheet of pure water in the heart of the moun- 
tain wilderness, only about a mile in length, but full 
of trout. The proprietor was of the party that 
accompanied me on my first visit. While approaching 
it, the remark was made, that it was yet without a 
name; when it was agreed that it should be 
christened after that individual, who should on that 
day throw the most successful fly. As fortune 
would have it, the honour was awarded to me ; and 
on a guide-board in the forest, three miles from 
Burnham's, may be seen the figure of a hand, and 
the words " Lake Lanman." There stands my 
written name, exposed "to the pcltings of the 
pitiless storm ;** and in a few years, at the longt it, 
it will be washed away, and the tree which supports 
it mingling with the dust. Will it be even thus 
with the memory of name ? 

Not to attempt a description of the scenery of the 
Kennebeck, which could be only faithfully given by 
the pictures of an artist, I will take my reader doun 
its beautiful valley, and tell him what I know 
respecting its beautiful villages. 

The first in order is Bingham, situated on a 
fertile "interval," surrounded with picturesque 
hills, charming and quiet as a summer day, and 
containing within the jurisdiction of its town 



VILLAGES ON THE KENNEBECK. 287 

an uncommonly fine farm, belonging to a Mr. 
Parlin, who manufactures large quantities of maple 
sugar. 

Solon is the next village in the Kennebeck valley, 
remarkable for nothing but Caritunk Falls, which 
are twenty feet high, and run through a gorge fifty 
feet wide. Here I saw some twenty men " driving" 
the logs that had been lodged all along the river 
when it was low. It is a laborious life which these 
men lead, but they receive good pay, and meet with 
many interesting adventures. They generally have 
the soul to enjoy fine scenery, and therefore demand 
the respect of the intelligent traveller. 

Anson, though in the valley of the Kennebeck, 
is situated on Seven Mile Brook, and is a flourishing 
business place. From its neighbouring hills may 
be seen the sky-piercing peaks of Mount Blue, 
Saddleback, Bigelow, and Mount Abraham, which 
are the guardian spirits of Maine. The town is 
distinguished for its agricultural enterprise, and the 
abundance of its wheat, having actually produced 
more than is reported from any other town in the 
State. 

Norridgwock, so named by the Kennebeck Indians, 
because, when fighting with their enemies at this 
place, they could find no-ridge-to-walk upon, which 
was a desirable object. It is a charming little 



288 VILLAGES ON THE KENNEBECK. 

village, and associated with a celebrated Indian 
Chief named Bomazeen, and also with a Jesuit 
Missionary, whose name I do not remember. Not 
far from here is a picturesque fall, also a picturesque 
bend of the Kenncbeck, where empties Sandy 
River, upon which are many extensive farms. 

Skowhegan is a thriving village, where there are 
fine falls, which I never could look upon without 
thinking of the famous Glen's Falls in New York, 
of which they are a complete counterpart, though 
on a smaller scale. Many and very dear to me are 
my recollections of its " choice bits" of scenery, of 
the fine singing I there heard, of the acquaintances 
there formed, and of the pleasant literary commun- 
ings which were mine in company with one of the 
best and most intellectual of women, who has for 
many years been my " guide, counsellor, and 
friend." 

Waterville, the next town on the river, is the 
seat of a Baptist College, and the head of naviga- 
tion on account of the Ticonic Falls. It is the 
centre of an extensive farming district, which fact, 
together with the literary taste of its people, makes 
it an interesting place. 

Augusta, the capital of the State, is also on the 
Kennebeck, and with its State House and other 
State buildings, its admirably conducted hotels, its 



VILLAGES ON THE KENNEBECK. 289 

commanding churches, its large bridge, and pleasant 
residences, is one of the most picturesque and 
interesting towns in the whole of New England. 

Hallowell, two miles below Augusta, was once a 
great place of business, and is still a very pleasant 
place, though unable to compete with its rival the 
Capital. In my mind, it is chiefly associated with 
some fine people, and particularly with three beauti- 
ful sisters, who are great lovers of poetry and fine 
musicians. 

Gardiner, further down, is a tremendous place for 
saw-mills ; and lumbering I look upon as one of the 
surest kinds of business. It contains the hand- 
somest church-building in the State, and a number 
of fine residences belonging to its wealthy citizens, 
of which that one belonging to Mr. Gardiner (after 
whom the place was named), is the most elegant. 

Bath is the next and most southern town on 
the Kennebeck; it is a large place, where there 
is a great deal of shipping done, and now in a 
flourishing condition. The sail down the river from 
here is a most delightful one, for the eye revels on 
a continual succession of pleasant farms, quiet head- 
lands, solitary islands, and vessels of every kind 
passing up and down the stream. Even to the 
present day, the Kennebeck abounds in salmon, 
which are caught with nets from the first of May 

o 



290 VILLAGES ON THE KENNEBECK. 

till midsummer. To take them with the hook is 
indeed rare sport, and for the manner in which I 
conquered a solitary individual I refer my reader to 
a certain passage in " Scrope on Salmon Fishing." 
Few are the rivers that I love more than the 
Kennebeck, and very dear to me are its manifold 
associations. 

I date this chapter from Portland, which is a 
thriving city of twenty thousand inhabitants, and 
interesting to the admirers of genius, because it is 
the native place of Mrs. Scba Smith, the poet 
Longfellow, and John Neal. 



A FISHING PARTY. 291 



CHAPTER XXV. 

A Fishing Party on the Thames — Watch Hill — Night Adventures. 

Norwich. August. 

A few mornings ago, just as the sun had risen 
above the eastern hills, which look down upon the 
Thames at Norwich, the prettiest sail-boat of the 
place left her moorings, and with a pleasant 
northerly breeze started for the Sound. Her pas- 
sengers consisted of six gentlemen, all equipped in 
their sporting jackets, and furnished with fishing- 
tackle, and their place of destination was Watch 
Hill, a point of land in Rhode Island, extending 
into the Atlantic, a few miles from Stonington. 
We were on a fishing frolic, as a matter of course, 
and a happier company, I ween, were never yet 
afloat, for the sport of a morning breeze. What with 

o 2 



292 A. MOVING PANORAMA. 

the story, the jest, the iced lemonade and exquisite 
cigar, the minutes glided by as swiftly and 
unobserved as the tiny waves around us. Now we 
met a solitary fisherman, towing for bass, and as 
we hailed him with a friendly shout and passed 
on, he began to talk in an under tone, and his 
voice did not die away until we had turned a point. 
What would I not give for an accurate record of 
that old man's life ! Anon, we witnessed the sooth- 
ing picture of a well-conducted farm, with its green- 
girt cottage, spacious barns, neat and flowing fields, 
with its horses, oxen, cows, sheep, hogs, and 
poultry. Now we saw some noble men, such as 
Vernct delighted to paint, hauling the seine, and, 
as the " fruit of all their toil n were thrown upon 
the sand, their flipping forms reflected back the 
sunlight, reminding us of — anything the reader 
may be pleased to imagine. Now, we were over- 
taken and tossed about by a steamer bound to New 
Haven ; and then we sailed in company with a boat, 
a sloop, and schooner ; meeting others, beating up, 
from Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. And 
the termination of this pleasing panorama was com- 
posed of Gale's Ferry, the commanding town, fort, 
and monument of Groton, together with the city 
of New London, among whose anchored shipping 
floated a saucy Revenue Cutter, and at whose docks 



A FORTUNATE ESCAPE. 293 

were chained a goodly number of storm-beaten 
whalers. 

Having taken in our stores, and obtained from 
the fish-market a basket of bait, we again hoisted 
sail, bound first to Commit Rock, and binding 
ourselves to capture all of the watery enemy which 
might tempt the power or the dexterity of our 
arms. 

When about three miles from New London, all 
eyes were attracted by a beautiful craft on our 
lee, laden with a party of ladies and gentlemen. 
"They're going toward a reef!" exclaimed our 
captain ; and no sooner had the words escaped his 
lips, than the stranger struck, and stove a hole 
through her bottom. We were just in time to save 
the party from a watery grave ; and when we had 
landed them in safety on the beach, we were well 
repaid .for our trouble by the consciousness of 
having done a good act, and by the thankful words 
and benignant smiles of the ladies fair. A dozen 
minutes more and we were within an oar's 
length of the fishing rock. "All ashore that's 
coming !" shouted our mate, as he held the boat 
fast, standing on the rock, when we all leaped 
out, and plenty of line having been given her, 
the boat swung to, and "like a cradled thing at 
rest/' floated upon the waves. Then commenced 



294 A PERILOUS SITUATION. 

the sport. The breeze was refreshing, and the 
breath of the salt sea-foam buoyed up our spirits to 
a higher pitch, and gave new vigour to our sinews. 
The youngest of the party was the first who threw 
his hook, which was snapped in the twinkling of an 
eye. Another trial, and a four-pound black-fish 
lay extended upon the rock. Another, and another, 
and another, until fourscore, even numbered, came 
following after. Tired of the sport, two of the 
party entered the boat, and hoisted sail for a little 
cruize. Half an hour had elapsed, when the steady 
breeze changed into a frightful gale, capsizing 
within hailing distance, a small fishing smack, with 
two old men in it. Hanging on, as they were, to 
the keel of the boat, their situation was extremely 
dangerous, as there was not a vessel within two 
miles. The poor men beckoned to us to help 
them; but as our boat was gone, we could. not do 
so, which of course we much regretted. 

For one long, long hour did they thus hang, 
" midway betwixt life and death," exposed to the 
dangers of being washed away by the remorseless 
surge, or swallowed up, as we were afterwards told, 
by a couple of sharks, which were kept away only 
by the hand of Providence. This incident tended 
to cool our ardour for fishing j and as we were satis- 
fied with that day's luck, we put up our gear, 



A SOLITARY WALK. 295 

during which time the boat arrived, and we 
embarked for the Hill. 

We made one short turn, however, towards the 
boat which had picked up the fishermen, as we 
were anxious to tell them why we did not come to 
their relief. We then tacked about, and the last 
words we heard from our companions were, — 
"Thank you — thank you — God bless you all," 
and until we had passed a league beyond Fisher's 
Island, our little vessel " carried a most beautiful 
bone between her teeth." 

At sunset we moored our little craft on the 
eastern shore of Paucatuck Bay. On ascending 
to the Watch Hill hotel, we found it to be a 
large, well-furnished house, and our host to be a fat, 
jolly FalstafF-ish sort of man, just suited to his 
station. At seven o'clock we sat down to a black- 
fish supper, then smoked a cigar, and while my 
companions resorted to the ten-pin alley, I but- 
toned up my pea-jacket, and sallied forth on 
an exploring expedition. As I stood on the 
highest point of the peninsula facing the south, 
I found that the light-house was situated directly 
before me, on the extreme point, that a smooth 
beach faded away on either side, the left-hand 
one being washed by the Atlantic, and that on the 
right by the waters of Fisher Island Bay, and 



296 BEAUTIES OF CREATION. 

that the dreary hills in my rear were dotted by 
an occasional dwelling. The breeze had died away, 
and the bright, full moon was in the cloudless 
sky. Many sails were in the offing, passing by and 
being passed by the Providence and Stonington 
steamboats bound to New York. The scenery 
around me, and the loveliness of the sky, with its 
galaxy of stars above, caused me to forget myself, 
and I wandered far away upon the shore — alone, 
in the awful presence of the great Atlantic Ocean. 
No sounds fell upon my ear, save the muffled 
roar of the ground swell, and the faint whispers of 
the tiny waves as they melted upon the sand. I 
traced my name, and beside it that of another, a 
being beauteous, for whose cabinet of curiosities 
I gathered many a round, smooth pebble, and many 
a delicate sea-shell. I wandered on, now gazing 
with wonder and admiration into the cerulean 
vault of Heaven, or into the still deeper blue of 
the mighty sea ; and now singing with a loud voice 
one of the sacred songs of the sweet singer of 
Israel. Now, a thosand images of surpassing love- 
liness darted across my vision, as I thought of 
God — of an eternal life in heaven — and of love, 
divine and human ; and then there came a weight 
upon my spirit, as I remembered the powers of 
darkness, the destiny of the condemned, and the 



MODE OP CATCHING BLUEFISH. 297 

miseries engendered by our evil passions. One 
moment I deemed myself immortal, released for ever 
from the contaminating influence of sin, and then 
I thought of the valley of death, and trembled. In 
that communion with the mysteries of the universe, 
strongly blended as they were, I felt that I could 
wander on without fatigue, until the whole earth 
should be trodden by my pilgrim feet. But the 
chilly air and the fading night warned me to 
retrace my steps, and in an hour I had reached 
my home. 

When the sun rose from his ocean-bed on the 
following morning, surrounded by a magnificent 
array of clouds, I was up, and busily engaged pre- 
paring for a day's fishing, — first, and before break- 
fast, for bluefish, afterwards for blackfish, and then 
for bass. While my companions were asleep, I 
went out with an old fisherman, and by breakfast 
time had captured thirty bluefish, weighing about 
two pounds a-piece. The manner of catching these 
is to tow for them with a long line, the bait being 
a piece of ivory attached to a strong hook. They 
are a very active and powerful fish, and when 
hooked make a great fuss, skipping and leaping 
out of the water. 

At nine o'clock our party were at anchor on a 
reef about one mile from shore ; and for the space of 

o 3 



298 BASS FISHING. 

about two hours we hauled in the blackfish as fast as 
possible, many of them weighing eight to ten 
pounds a-piece. For them, you must have a small 
straight hook, and for bait, lobsters or crabs. A 
broiled blackfish, when rightly cooked, is considered 
one of the best of saltwater delicacies. 

But the rarest of all fishing is that of catching 
bass ; and a first-rate specimen I was permitted to 
enjoy. About eleven o'clock, I jumped into the 
surf-boat of an old fisherman, requesting him to 
pull for the best bass ground with which he was 
acquainted. In the mean time my friends had 
obtained a large boat, and were going to follow us. 
The ground having been reached, wc let our boat 
float wherever the tide and wind impelled it, and 
began to throw over lines, using for bait the skin 
of an eel six inches long. Those in the neighbour- 
ing boat had fine luck, as they thought, having 
caught some dozen five-pounders, and they seemed 
to be perfectly transported because nearly an hour 
had passed and I had caught nothing. In their 
glee they raised a tremendous shout, but before it 
had fairly died away, my line was suddenly straight- 
ened, and I knew that I had a prize. Now it cut the 
water like a streak of lightning, although there were 
two hundred feet out, and as the fish returned I 
still kept it taught ; and after playing with him for 



HAULING THE SEINE. 299 

about forty minutes, I succeeded in drowning him, 
then hauled up gradually, and with my boat-hook 
landed him in the boat safe and sound. The length 
of that striped bass was four feet two inches, and 
his weight, before cleaned, fifty-eight poinds. The 
reader can easily imagine the chop-fallen appearance 
of my brother fishermen, when they found out that 
" the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle 
to the strong." At three o'clock in the afternoon, 
a piece of that bass tended to satisfy the appetite 
which had been excited by his capture. 

Satisfied with our piscatorial sports, we concluded 
to spend the rest of the day quietly gathering shells 
upon the beach ; but causes of excitement were still 
around us. No sooner had we reached the water^ 
edge, than we discovered a group of hardy men 
standing on a little knoll, in earnest conversation, 
while some of them were pointing towards the sea. 
" To the boat — to the boat/'' suddenly shouted their 
leader, when they all descended with the speed of 
Swiss mountaineers ; and on reaching a boat which 
had been made ready, they pushed her into the 
surf, when three of them jumped in, and thus com- 
menced the interesting scene of hauling the seine. 
There was something new and romantic to us in the 
thought, that the keen and intelligent eye of man 
could even penetrate into the deep, so far as to 



300 SOLITARY REFLECTIONS. 

designate the course of travel of the tribes of the 
sea. And when the seine was drawn, it was a 
thrilling sight to see those fishermen tugging at the 
lines, leaping into the surf, which sometimes com- 
pletely covered them, to secure the tens of thousands 
of fish which they had caught. There was a grace 
and beauty about the whole scene, which made me 
long for the genius of a Mount or a Bingham. 

A little before sunset, I was again strolling along 
the shore, when the following incident occurred. 
The reader will please return with me to the spot 
^ onder on that fisherman's stake, a little sparrow- 
lias just alighted, facing the main. It has been 
lured away from the green bowers of home by the 
music of the sea, and is now gazing, perhaps with 
feelings kindred to my own, upon this most magni- 
ficent structure of the Almighty hand. See ! it 
spreads its wing, and is now darting towards the 
water — fearless and free. Ah ! it has gone too 
near ! for the spray moistens its plumes ! There — 
there it goes, frightened back to its native wood- 
land. That little bird, so far as its power and 
importance are concerned, seems to me a fit emblem 
of the mind of man, and this great ocean an appro- 
priate symbol of the mind of God. 

The achievements of the human mind " have then- 
passing paragraphs of praise, and are forgotten." 



SOLITARY REFLECTIONS. 301 

Man may point to the Pyramids of Egypt, which 
are the admiration of the world, and exclaim, 
" Behold the symbols of my power and importance!" 
But most impotent is the boast. Those mighty 
mysteries stand in the solitude of the desert, and 
the glory of their destiny is fulfilled, in casting a 
temporary shadow over the tent of the wandering 
Arab. 

The achievements of the Almighty mind are 
beyond the comprehension of man, and lasting as 
his own eternity. The spacious firmament, with its 
suns, and moons, and stars; our globe, with its 
oceans, and mountains, and rivers; the regularly 
revolving seasons ; and the still, small voice conti- 
nually ascending from universal nature, all proclaim 
the power and goodness of their Great Original. 
And everything which God has created, from the 
nameless insect to the world of waters, and highway 
of nations, was created for good, to accomplish some 
omnipotent end. As this ocean is measureless and 
fathomless, so is it an emblem, beautiful but faint, 
of that wonderful Being, whose throne is above the 
milky- way, and who is himself from everlasting to 
everlasting. But see, there is a heavy cloud rising 
in the west, the breeze is freshening, nocks of wild 
ducks are trying inland, and the upper air is ringing 
with the shrill whistle of the bold and wild sea-gull, 
whose home is the boundless sea ; therefore^ as the 



302 A POETIC REVERIE. 

poet Noble lias somewhere written, " the shortest 
homeward track's the best." 

Still in the present tense would I continue. The 
witching hour of midnight has again returned. A 
cold rain-storm has just passed over, and the moon 
is again the mistress of a cloudless sky, but the 
wind is still raging in all its fury. 

" I view the ships that come and go, 

Looking so like to living things. 
! 'tis a proud and gallant show 
Of hright and broad-spread wings, 
Making it light around them, as they keep 
Their course right onward through the unsounded deep." 

Dana. 

God be with them and their brave and gallant 
crews. But again, 

" Where the far-off sand-bars lift 

Their backs in long and narrow line, 
The breakers shout, and leap, and shift, 

And send the sparkling brine 
Into the air ; then rush to mimic strife ; 
Glad creatures of the sea, and full of life !" — Ibid. 

But I must stop quoting poetry, for as " a thing 
of beauty is a joy for ever," I should be for ever 
writing about the sea. Heavens ! What a terrible 
song is the ocean singing ! with his long white hair 
streaming in the wind. The waving, splashing, 



TARDY PROGRESS. 303 

wailing, dashing, howling, rushing, and moaning of 
the waves, is a glorious lullaby, and a fit prelude to 
a dream of the sea. 

At an early hour on the following day we em- 
barked for home; but a sorry time did we have of it, 
for the winds were very lazy. We were ten hours 
going the distance of twenty-two miles. It was now 
sunset, not a solitary breath of air, and we were off 
Gale's Ferry. Ashore we went, resolved to await 
the coming of the Sag Harbor steamboat, which 
usually arrived about nine o'clock, and by which we 
were taken in tow. Snugly seated in our boat, and 
going at the rate of eighteen miles, we were congra- 
tulating ourselves upon an early arrival home. But, 
alas, at this moment the painter broke, the steamer, 
unconscious of our fate, still sped onward, while we 
sheered off towards the shore, almost disgusted with 
human life in general — for our boat was large, and 
we had but one oar. But what matter ? We were 
a jolly set, and the way we gave three cheers, as a 
prelude to the song of " Begone Dull Care," must 
have been startling to the thousand sleeping echoes 
of hill, forest, river, and glen. 

Having crept along at snaiPs pace about one mile, 
we concluded to land, and, if possible, obtain a place 
to sleep, and something to eat ; for not having had 
a regular dinner, and not a mouthful of supper, we 



304 INHOSPITABLE RECEPTION. 

were half starved. With clubs in our hands, to 
keep off hobgoblins and bull dogs, we wended our 
way towards a neighbouring farm-house, where we 
knocked for admittance. Pretty soon a great 
gawky-looking head stuck itself out of an upper 
window, to which we made known our heartfelt 
desires, receiving in return the following answer : 
" My wife is sick — hain't got any bread — you can 
go in the barn to sleep if you want to;" and we 
turned reluctantly away, troubled with a feeling 
very nearly allied to anger. " Come, let's go off in 
this direction," exclaimed one of the party, " and 
I'll introduce you to my old friend, Captain Some- 
body;" — and away we posted, two by two, acrosf 
new-mown field. Presently our two lead< 
awe-stricken by the sudden appearance of something 
white, which seemed to be rising out of the earth 
beside a cluster of bushes, and the way they wheeled 
about and put for the river, (accompanied by their 
fellows, whose fright was merely sympathetic, ) was 
" a caution" to all unbelievers in ghosts and other 
midnight spectres. 

At last we halted to gain a little breath, an expla- 
nation was made, and our captain forthwith resolved 
to investigate the matter. He now took the lead, 
and on coming to the mysterious spot, discovered an 
old blind white horse, who had been awakened by a 



AWKWARD PREDICAMENT. 305 

noise, and, following the instinct of his nature, had 
risen from his lair, to be better prepared for danger. 
I doubt whether the echoes are yet silent, which 
were caused by the loud and long peals of laughter 
which resounded to the sky. Being in a strange 
land, without chart or compass, we could not find 
the mortal dwelling place of Captain Somebody, 
and so we changed our course of travel. 

We stopped at another house, farther on, but to 
save our lives we could not obtain an interview, 
although we entered the hen-coop, and set the cocks 
and hens a cackling and crowing, the pig-pen, 
and set the hogs a squealing, while a large dog and 
two puppies did their best to increase and prolong 
the midnight chorus. If our farmer friend did not 
deem himself transported to Bedlam, about that 
time, we imagine that nothing on earth would have 
the power to give him such a dream. Our ill-luck 
made us almost desperate, and so we returned to 
the boat, resolved to row the whole distance home, 
could we but find an extra oar. 

It was now eleven o'clock, and the only things 
that seemed to smile upon us were the ten thousand 
stars, studding the clear, blue firmament. Anon, a 
twinkling light beamed upon our vision ; and as we 
approached, we found it to proceed from a little hut 
on an island, where a Thames lamplighter and his 



306 



A CHOWDER, 



boy were accustomed to pass the night after their 
work was done. Having again landed, we re- 
ceived a hearty welcome, as the host proved to 
be an old acquaintance of our captain and mate. 
a Have you anything to eat V was almost the first 
question of every tongue. "No, nothing but this 
barrel of crackers and some cheese/' exclaimed the 
man of light. " And we" shouted one of our 
crew, " have plenty of fish ; — can't wc have a 
chowder V " Ay, ay ! a chowder, a chowder it 
shall be," were the words which rang aloud to the 
very heavens. A wherry was despatched to the 
main-land, to the well-known habitation of an old 
fisherman, for the necessary iron pot and bowlsjj 
for the potatoes and onions, which were dug for the 
occasion ; for the pork, the pepper, and salt ; all 
which, added to our biscuit and black -fish, nicely 
cleaned and prepared, constituted a chowder of the 
very first water. There was one addition to our 
company, in the person of the old fisherman ; and 
our appearance, as we were seated in a circle on the 
floor, each with a bowl of thick hot soup in his 
hands, constituted a picture rich and rare. After 
we had finished it was acknowledged by all, that a 
better meal had never been enjoyed by mortal man. 
In about thirty minutes from this time the odd one 
of the company bade us " good night," and the 



RETURN HOME. 307 

midnight brotherhood resigned themselves to sleep. 
The last sounds I heard, before closing my eyes, 
were caused by the regular opposition steam-boats 
from New York, as they shot by the island almost 
as " swift as an arrow from a shivering bow." 

The first faint streak of daylight found us on 
board our boat, homeward bound, wafted on by a 
pleasant southerly breeze. At the usual hour, we 
were all seated at our respective breakfast tables, 
relating our adventures of the excursion just 
ended. 



308 A WEEK IN 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

A week in a Fishing Smack — Fisherman — A beautiful morning 
at sea — A day at Nantucket — Wreck of a ship — Night on the 
Sound. 

Norwich. August. 

On a pleasant Monday morning I started from 
Norwich, bound to New London, and from thence 
to any other portion of the world where I might 
have some sport in the way of salt-water fishing. 
In less than an hour after landing from the steam- 
boat, I had boarded the handsome smack Orleans, 
Captain Keeney, and by dint of much persuasion, 
secured a berth on board, to accompany him on a 
fishing voyage. In addition to my previous prepa- 
rations, I had only to purchase a Guernsey shirt and 
tarpaulin \ and by the time I was regularly equipped, 



A FISHING SMACK. 309 

the sails were hoisted, and we were on our course 
for Nantucket. An intimate acquaintance was soon 
formed between myself and crew, which consisted 
of the master, two sailors, and the cook. The whole 
time that I spent in their company was six days, as 
I reached home on the following Saturday evening. 
The incidents that I met with were somewhat new, 
as a matter of course, and I employed a few 
moments of every evening during my absence, in 
briefly recording the events of the past day; and 
that medley I now put together as a literary 
chowder. 

Monday Evening. — My observations to-day have 
been limited to our little vessel, in consequence of a 
dense fog, which drenched us to the skin, and seems 
likely to continue. I have obtained some information, 
however, concerning the character of an interesting 
class of men. Smack-fishermen are a brave, hardy, 
honest, and simple-hearted race, and as my captain 
tells me, spend nine-tenths of their time " rocked in 
the cradle of the deep." Their vessels, or smacks, are 
generally of about forty tons burthen ; the number 
of those which supply New York and Boston with 
fish is said to be near a thousand, and they are all 
at home anywhere on the coast between the Kenne- 
beck and the Delaware. Of the perils which these 
fishermen endure, and the privations they suffer, 



310 A WEEK IN 

how little is known or thought by the great world 
at large ! Yet I believe there is as much true 
happiness in their lives, as in those of any other 
class. Their fathers were fishermen before them, 
and as they themselves have mostly been born within 
hearing of the surf, they look upon the unsounded 
deep as their fitting home — their only home, and 
would not part with it for a palace or a crown. 
Four is the usual number of a smack's crew, and 
the master is invariably called a skipper. Most of 
them arc worthy husbands and fathers, whose 
families are snugly harboured in some convenient 
sea-port, with enough and to spare of the good 
things of life. They are a jovial set of men, hailing 
each other upon the ocean as friends, and meeting 
upon land as brothers. Each skipper thinks hia 
craft the handsomest and swiftest that floats, and 
very exciting are the races they sometimes run. 
Their affection for their own vessel is like that of 
the Arab for his steed, and like the Arab, too, they 
have been known to weep over the grave of their 
darling and their pride. 

The kinds of fish which they mostly bring to 
market are shad, salmon, lobsters, mackerel, cod, 
bluefish, haddock, blackfish, pangies, bass, and 
halibut. The first three are generally purchased of 
local fishermen, but all the rest are caught by tt 



A FISHING SMACK. 311 

selves. The haunts of the blackfish are rocky reefs, 
those of the bass and bluefish, in the vicinity of 
sandy shoals or tide rips, and those of the remainder 
in about fifteen fathom water. These are the 
varieties they capture by way of business ; but when 
in a frolicsome mood, they frequently attack a sword- 
fish, a shark, or black whale; and soul-thrilling 
indeed, and laughable withal, are the yarns they 
spin concerning these exploits. 

As to their mode of living, while at sea, it is just 
what it should be, and what they would have it, 
although it would be positively shocking to a 
Bond Street gentleman. But they always possess a 
good appetite, which is what money cannot pur- 
chase, and without which the greatest delicacy in 
the world would be insipid or loathsome. Fish, 
sea-biscuit, corned-beef, and pork, potatoes, onions, 
and pancakes, constitute their provisions, and what 
besides these would a reasonable man desire? It 
is with a mixture of some of these, that a chowder 
is concocted, and where can anything more delicious 
be found ? And with these ingredients, moreover, 
they manage very well to keep body and soul 
together, unless a storm on a rock-bound coast 
happens to make a sudden separation. 

I have just been on deck, and must say that 
I resume my pen with a heavier heart. The fog 



312 A WEEK IN 

has not dispersed in the least, a regular gale of 
wind is blowing from the north, and the waves, 
seemingly in a revengeful mood, are tossing our 
bark about, as if the skipper, like the Ancient 
Mariner, had shot another albatros. But, like a 
fearless man as he is, he stands at the helm, 
watching the sails with a steady eye, and the men 
with their storm-jackets on are standing by, mutter- 
ing something about the coming darkness, and a 
reef somewhere on our lee. Never before have I 
so distinctly understood the force of the Psalmist's 
simile, when he compares a wave to a drunken 
man reeling to and fro. Both have it in their 
power to cause a mighty mischief, and both become 
exhausted and perish — one upon a sandy beach, 
and the other sweeping over the peninsula of time, 
finds a grave on the shore of oblivion. Heavens ! 
how the wind whistles, and the waters roar ! Ay, 
but a still small voice salutes my ear, and I lay 
me down to sleep, with a prayer upon my lips, 
and a feeling of security at my heart, as I place 
implicit confidence in Him who holdeth the ocean in 
the hollow of his hand. 

Tuesday Evening. — I was awakened out of a 
deep sleep" this morning by the following saluta- 
tion from the skipper, as he patted me on the 
shoulder, 



A FISHING SMACK. 313 

u It's a beautiful morning, and you ought to be 
up — the fog is gone, and the wind is down ; won't 
you come up and take the helm awhile — so that 
the boys and I may obtain a little sleep before 
reaching the fishing-ground, which will be about, 
ten o'clock ?" 

I was delighted to accept the invitation, and in 
a very short time the sailors were asleep, and I in 
my new station, proud as a king, and happy 
as a sinless boy. And, oh ! that I could describe 
the scene that fascinated my eyes as I lay there 
upon the deck, with one arm reposing on the 
rudder, and my other hand grasping a Claude 
glass ! I felt as I once felt before, when standing 
on the famous precipice of Niagara, that then, more 
than ever, I desired God to be my friend. I also 
felt, that if the world did not demand the feeble 
services of my life, I should wish to remain upon 
the ocean for ever, provided I could have " one fair 
being for my minister." More earnestly than ever 
did I long for a complete mastery of my art. The 
fact of being out of sight of land, where the blue 
element announced that the ocean was soundless, 
filled my soul with that " lone, lost feeling," which 
is supposed to be the eagle's, when journeying to 
the zenith of the sky. The sun had just risen 
above the waves, and the whole eastern portion of 

p 



314 A WEEK IN 

the heavens was flooded with the most exquisite 
colouring I ever beheld — from the deepest crimson 
to the faintest and most delicate purple, from the 
darkest yellow to an almost invisible green ; and 
all blended, too, in forms of marvellous loveliness. 
A reflection of this scene was also visible in the 
remaining quarters of the horizon. Around me the 
illimitable deep, whose bosom is studded with many 
a gallant and glittering ship, 

that have the plain 
Of ocean for their own domain. 

The waves are lulling themselves to rest, and a 
balmy breeze is wandering by, as if seeking its old 
grandfather, who kicked up the grand " rumpus" 
last night ; whereby I learn, that the offspring of a 
" rough and stormy sire," are sometimes very 
beautiful and affectionate to the children of men. 
But look, even the dwellers in the sea and of the 
sea are participating in the hilarity of this bright 
morning ! Here, a school of herrings are skipping 
along like a frolicsome party of vagabonds as they 
are — and yonder a shark has leaped out of the 
water, to display the symmetry of his form, and 
the largeness of his jaw, and looking as if he 
thought " that land-lubber would make me a first- 
rate breakfast ;" there, a lot of porpoises are playing 
" leap-frog," or some other outlandish game ; and, 



A. FISHING SMACK. 315 

a little beyond them, a gentleman sword-fish is 
swaggering along to parts unknown, to fight a 
duel in cold blood with some equally cold-blooded 
native of the Atlantic ; and now, a flock of gulls are 
cleaving their course to the south, to the floating 
body, perhaps, of a drowned mariner, which their 
sagacity has discovered a league or two away — and 
now, again, I notice a flock of petrels, hastening 
onward to where the winds blow, and the waves 
are white. Such are the pictures I beheld in my 
brief period of command. It may have been but 
fancy, but I thought my little vessel was trying to 
eclipse her former beauty, and her former speed. 
One thing I know, that she " walked the water like 
a thing of life." 

I fancied, too, that I was the identical last man 
whom Campbell saw in his vision, and that I was 
then bound to the haven of eternal rest. But my 
shipmates returning from the land of Nod, and a 
certain clamour within my own body having caught 
my ear, I became convinced that to break my fast 
would make me happier than anything else just at 
that time, and I was soon as contented as an 
alderman at five p.m. About two hours after this, 
we reached our fishing-place, which was twenty miles 
east of Nantucket. We then lowered the jib and 
topsail, and having luffed, and fastened the main- 

p 2 



316 A WEEK IN 

sheet, so that the smack could easily float, we hauled 
out our lines, and commenced fishing, baiting our 
hooks with clams, of which we had some ten 
bushels on board. Cod fishing (for we were on a 
codding cruise) is rather dull sport; it is, in fact, 
what I would call hard labour. In six hours we 
had caught all the skipper wanted, or that the well 
would hold, so we made sail again, bound to New 
York ; and at supper-time the deck of our smack 
was as clean and dry, as if it had never been pressed 
save by the feet of ladies. At sunset, however, a 
fierce southerly wind sprang up, so that we were 
compelled to make a harbour; and just as I am 
closing this record, we are anchoring at Nantucket, 
with a score of storm-beaten whales on our starboard 
bow. 

Wednesday Evening. The weather to-day has been 
threatening, and the skipper thought it best to 
remain at our moorings; but with me the i 
has not been devoid of interest ; for, in my sailor 
garb, I ha, 'en strolling about the t< wn studj 
the solemn drama of life, while playfulb cting a 
subordinate part myself. This morning, as it hap- 
pened, I went into the public cemetery, and spent 
an hour conning over the rude inscriptions to the 
memory of the departed. In that city of the dead, 
I saw a number of the living walking to and fro, 



A. FISHING SMACK. 317 

but there was one who attracted my particular 
attention. He was a seaman of noble presence, 
seated upon an unmarked mound, with his feet 
resting upon a smaller one beside it, his head 
reclined upon one hand, while the other was 
occasionally passed across his face, as if wiping 
away a tear. I hailed him with a few kind 
questions, and my answer was the following brief 
tale. 

' e Yes, sir, four years ago, I shipped aboard that 
whaler yonder, leaving behind me, in a sweet little 
cottage of my own, a mother, a wife, and an only 
boy. They were all in the enjoyment of good 
health, and happy ; and, when we were under sail, 
and I saw from the mast-head how kindly they 
waved their handkerchiefs beside my door, I too was 
happy, even in my hour of grief. Since that time I 
have circumnavigated the globe, and every rare curio- 
sity I could obtain was intended for my darling 
ones at home. Last Saturday our ship returned. I 
asked no questions of the pilot for he was a 
stranger, but I landed, flew to my dwelling, and 
found it locked. The flagging in my yard attracted 
my notice, and I thought it strange that the rank 
grass had been suffered to grow over it so thickly. 
The old minister passed by my gate, and running to 
him with extended hand, I inquired for my family. 



318 A WEEK IN 

" Oh Mr. B.," said lie, "you must bless the Lord, 
— he gave them to you, and he hath taken them 
away." And as the thought stole into my brain, my 
suffering, sir, was intense, and I longed to die. 
And there they are, my wife and darling child, and, 
a step or two beyond, my dear old mother. Peace 
to their memories." 

Such was the simple story, and I have pondered 
much upon the world of woe which must be hidden 
in the breast of that old mariner. 

After dinner, to-day, I got into company with 
some fishermen who were going after bass and 
bluefish, and in a short time I had captured, with 
my own hands, two big bass and some dozen blue- 
fish, — which I packed in ice as a present to some 
"New York friends. 

At my present time of writing, which is near ten 
o'clock at night, we are weighing anchor, and the 
skipper tells me we shall be in New York by to- 
morrow's sunset. An hour before coming on board 
this evening, I lounged into a sailor boarding-house, 
and mingled as freely with a company of whalemen 
there, as if I had been a bond fide member of the 
craft. I heard a great deal that interested me, and 
was sorry that I could not remain longer. There 
were some in that company lately arrived from 
every portion of the world, and yet they were 



A FISHING SMACK. 319 

Engaged in the same business, and had journeyed 
on the same mighty highway of nations. One was 
descanting upon the coral islands of the Torrid zone, 
another upon the ice-mountains of the Arctic Sea, a 
third was describing the coast of California, and 
another the waters that lave the Eastern shore of 
Asia. The more I listened to these men, the more 
did the immensity of ocean expand before my mind, 
and in the same proportion was I led to wonder at 
the wisdom of the Creator. 

I have just been on deck, and find that we are on 
the way to our desired haven, wafted by a steady 
and pleasant breeze. Our course is between 
Martha's Vineyard and Rhode Island, a route 
studded with islands and seaports, that now appear 
in the cool starlight like the pictures of. fairy 
land. 

Thursday Evening. Instead of coming through 
the Sound last night, we headed our vessel outside 
of Long Island, and after a delightful sail have 
realized our skipper's promise, for we are now 
floating beside the market in New York. The 
reason assigned for taking the outside course was, 
that the fish would keep better, on account of the 
greater coldness of the water. Nothing of peculiar 
interest has happened to us to-day, except the 



320 A WEEK IN 

meeting with a wreck off Sandy Hook. It was the 
hull of a large ship, whose name we could not 
discern. It had a very old appearance, and from 
the moss and sea-weed that covered it, we supposed 
it must have been afloat for many months, the 
plaything of the waves. " Man marks the earth 
with ruin," but who is it that scatters such splendid 
ruins upon the ocean ? And a thousand remorse- 
less surges echo back the answer : " To us, belong 
the glory of those deeds." If that wreck had 
language, what a strange, eventful history would it 
reveal! Its themes would be, — home and all Itl 
treasures lost ; the sea, and all its dangers ; the 
soul, and all its agonies ; the heart, and all its suf- 
ferings. But when we multiply all this as fast as 
time is multiplying it, we cannot but realize the 
idea, that human life is but a probationary state, 
and that sorrow and sighing are our earthly in- 
heritance. 

Friday Evening. After portioning out my fish 
this morning, and sending them to my friends, I 
put on my usual dress, and having obtained a six 
hours' furlough, set off towards Broadway, where, 
between the reading rooms and the studios of a few 
artists, I managed to spend my time very pleasantly. 
At noon, we embarked for New London and had a 



A FISHING SMACK. 321 

delightful time, passing through the East River 
and that pleasing panorama from the city to the 
Sound, never before appeared more beautiful. 

It is now late, and I have been on 
deck all the evening alone. In a thoughtful 
mood I fixed my eyes upon the stars, and my 
spirits were saddened by the continual murmur 
of the sea. Of what avail, thought I, is all 
this excitement ? Why was I created, and what is 
my destiny ? Is it to sail for a few brief years 
longer upon the ocean of life, and, when the death- 
tempest overtakes me, to pass away unloved and 
unremembered by a single human heart ? If not 
an honoured name, can I not leave behind me an 
humble memory, that will be cherished by a few, 
to whom I have laid bare my innermost soul, when 
I was younger than I am, and a hundred-fold more 
happy ? What ! night ! what is my destiny ? 

Saturday Evening. We anchored off New Lon- 
don to-day, in time for me to take the evening 
steamer for Norwich. When I parted with my 
" shipmates," I shook each one affectionately by the 
hand, and thought that I might travel many years 
without finding a brotherhood of nobler men. I 
reached home as the eight o' clock bells were ringing, 
and was reminded that another week of precious 



322 CONCLUSION. 

time was gone. That the past must be remembered 
as an unprofitable week, I cannot believe, for I feel 
that my soul has been enlarged, and my heart 
humbled by listening to the teachings of the 
mighty deep. 



THE END. 



I.OND H : 

Printed by Schulze & Co., L3, Poland Street 



fit in 



